• Good news, Better Off Ted returns with a new season on December 8th!! Oh, and that other ABC show that just won’t quit already, Scrubs, returns for its 49th season on December 1st — The Futon Critic

• In award-show host news: Ricky Gervais will host the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards in January 2010. Hugh Jackman will not return to host next year’s Oscar telecast. All of this is about as riveting as actually watching the award shows — Gawker

• Get out your best sweater set and curlers, Betty Draper is hosting Saturday Night Live on November 14. I bet Peggy Olson’s office liquor cabinet that Don will make a cameo — TV Guide

• Fantastic, 100 days of pre, PREEEEEEE Olympics coverage, courtesy of NBC…yes, the same annoying network that brings you Leno every night at 10 PM — Los Angeles Times

• You know that little Michael Jackson movie that no one has been talking about? Well, it made a lot of money over the weekend–just one more thing for the Jackson family to fight about — NY Daily News

I know, I know, I’ve been a bit absent these past few weeks with the Mad Men recaps, I just needed to take a little break from writing about the show, but of course this week’s episode was just too big to not write something…

…so, now that Betty knows about Don, not only should we be asking “who are you supposed to be?” but also “just what the heck is going to happen now?”

Will Betty forgive Don, or will she seek a divorce?  Yes, he has lied to her every day as she pointed out, but is it enough for her to now know the truth? And for Don, once again his past has collided with his present. He knows he can’t really run again, but his alternative escape, other women, will have to end, and more than just an episode or two. He knows he has to be on his absolute best behavior if he wants to salvage his marriage.

Jon Hamm and January Jones both put in knock-out performances—and the added suspense with Suzanne waiting in the car was just one more example of why this show will go down as one of the best in TV history. The production was phenomenal, from the minute Don walked through the front door and was startled by his family’s unexpected early return home—it took me back to previous sequences where Don came home and imagined being greeted by his family—to all the movement through out the house, each location establishing the mood. The altercation in the office, to the sit down at the table, and finally the intimacy of the bedroom, going through the photos.

I imagine with JFK’s assassination coming, the  writers are setting up the parallel “end of an era” in Mad Men land…Sterling Cooper’s up for sale; Don finally told Betty the truth; Betty might now have the upper hand; Roger Sterling doesn’t feel the need to stray; and Joan’s husband will probably be shipped off to Vietnam.

I think Peggy’s quote during the focus group summed up all the tension quite nicely:  “I can’t turn it off, it’s actually happening.”

So, two more episodes to go…I’ll definitely write post-finale, and of course do an overall wrap up about the season.

• The CW’s Melrose Place says buh-bye to Ashlee Simpson…well, this just means more time for her to continue with her lip-syncing career — E! Online

• Bronson Pinchot (aka everyone’s favorite cousin, Balki, from Perfect Strangers) got a little excited to be talking to the press again and shared some stories about former film co-stars — The Onion AV Club

• And his interview got everyone all giddy, so even more press called him! To uh, talk about his co-stars again, not anything about what he’s doing, or whatever. – The Wall Street Journal

• Ruh-roh! Hulu, that magnificient online destination that plays TV shows and movies for FREE—well, now they are thinking they might take away that free part, and as early as next year! — 1010Wins

• The Weather Channel (now your weather on the 8’s) will soon be showing films about…weather! I don’t know what’s more bizarre, that they will be showing movies or that Hollywood has really made enough weather movies to make it worth The Weather Channel’s while — The Associated Press

…and no, it’s definitely not Jay Leno’s nightly 10 PM show…but since you brought it up, IMHO I think handing over the coveted primetime hour to an annoying and no longer relevant comedian is ridiculous and could possibly turn out to be one of the most disastrous decisions NBC has ever made. There are networks that take creative risks (FX, AMC) and then networks that just take desperate measures (remember when ABC ran Who Wants to Be a Millionaire almost every night of the week?)–Jay Leno every night @ 10 PM is a desperate measure. And guess what–Leno’s ratings aren’t great and now NBC is kind of panicking.

All that aside, let’s get to a good decision NBC’s programming kids made for this fall that has turned out to be a bright spot on Thursday night’s line up: Community. In case you aren’t already a fan, it stars Joel McHale (of the E! channel’s The Soup, as well as this summer’s film, The Informant! with Matt Damon) as arrogant and former lawyer, Jeff Winger and Chevy Chase as a socially awkward businessman, Pierce Hawthorne, both who have enrolled at a community college. Jeff creates a fake Spanish class study group to get to know his attractive  fellow classmate, Britta (Gillian Jacobs). Unfortunately for Jeff, word gets around about the said study group, resulting in a few more extra members than he had hoped for—other classmates, who really want/need tutoring/or just want to be social—and voila, we have a show. I think Community is NBC’s second best comedy, behind 30 Rock, and the two of them blocked together on Thursday nights should help the Peacock Network’s numbers.

The cast is great, the writing is fun, slap-stick, witty (and often not very PC), and thoughtful at times, but never forgets that it’s a sitcom (formulaic/predictable). There are a couple of familiar faces–Allison Brie (Trudy from MadMen) as the high-strung Annie; John Oliver (from The Daily Show) as a professor and former client of Jeff’s; and Ken Jeong (appeared in Knocked Up, The Pineapple Express, The Office, Entourage) as Senor Chang, their erratic and intense Spanish professor.

I’m just thrilled that the very talented and smug Ryan Seacrest look-alike Joel McHale is branching out from being host of a clip-show to leading man on a network comedy.  It would seem that Mr. McHale may be the latest Talk Soup/The Soup success story since Hal Sparks, who went on to star in Showtime’s award-winning series, Queer as Folk and before him, Greg Kinnear, who has appeared in numerous films and was nominated for an Oscar for As Good As It Gets.

Below is a clip of the show, enjoy!

• Lorelei Gilmore, er, I mean Lauren Graham will be returning to TV, this time in NBC’s upcoming series Parenthood, replacing Maura Tierney–New York Times

• TLC is suing Jon Gosselin, from the enormously popular Jon & Kate Plus 8. Wow, TLC and the Gosselins will stop at nothing to stay in the headlines. What’s next, a hot-air balloon fiasco?? –Associated Press

• Yes, I’m still sad that Reno911! got canceled, but I’m excited that the guys behind it are committed to a pilot for NBC –The Hollywood Reporter

• Matthew Perry has had enough of living off his millions, he’s heading back to TV, where he’ll play a “self-involved manager of a second-rate sports arena blah, blah, blah” –The Hollywood Reporter

• Where the Wild Things Are opens this weekend, which probably means that come Monday Couples Retreat will no longer be the #1 movie in the country…we hope. — New York Times

According to an article on CNN.com, Michael Jackson costumes will be the big hit at Halloween gatherings. Since trend stories must contain statistical back up, here’s what CNN found out:

“When you go to a party there will be a person dressed as Michael Jackson, no doubt,” said Jalem Getz, president and CEO of Buyseasons Inc., the parent company of BuyCostumes.com.

Searches for the costume, which generally includes tight black pants, a leather jacket and, of course, a glittering glove, have gone up more than a 1000%, according to Getz.

Other popular dead celebrity costumes include Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon and infomercial pitchman Billy Mays.

…by the way, is it just me, or does the phrase “other popular dead celebrity costumes” creep you out?  Anyways…

Meanwhile, die hard Twilight and True Blood fans have breathed new life into classic vampire attire, and reality celebs John and Kate Gosselin will likely be well represented on the trick or treat circuit.

“People like to be current,” Getz said of the current top choices. And no matter how grim, “we don’t judge our customers,” he added.

Oh, and the other thing about this year’s Halloween? Here come some more stats…

According to the National Retail Federation’s 2009 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, total Halloween spending is estimated to fall 18% to $4.75 billion, down from $5.77 billion last year.

“The economy has caught up to Halloween this year,” Tracy Mullin, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation, said in a statement. “Since retailers know that Americans will be looking to celebrate on a budget, there’s no doubt we will see creative costume and decorating ideas in every price point imaginable.”

The report found that the average consumer plans to spend $56.31 on Halloween merchandise this year, down from $66.54 in 2008.

That’s right, I’m putting it out there–-Glee is the best new comedy of the fall TV premieres. A musical comedy about high school, primarily through the eyes of the members of glee club, which includes kids from various stereotypical cliques, as they not only try to get through their own issues, but navigate through the club’s moments of glory and humiliation, and actually win their singing competitions

Unfortunately, the adults around them aren’t all that helpful as they are caught up in their own dysfunctional entanglements, demonstrating the notion that even grown ups aren’t grown up. Glee is full of over-the-top characters and antics, and brims with sharp dialogue. And the musical performances–varying in genres and decades–kicks up the energy and of course help move along the narrative.

And above all that, it’s got Jane Lynch, and every single scene she’s in—bullying her way through the halls of William McKinley High School as the cocky and abrasive cheer coach, the Cheerios as they are called, sparking a confrontation, scheming with her cheerleaders, ridiculing her archenemy, Spanish teacher and director of the glee club, Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), giving that unflinching stare while brilliantly delivering some of the most absurd yet whip-smart lines in TV history—she steals it.

Lynch is primarily known for her performances in Best in Show and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, but watching her as the tough-talking, ball-busting, manipulative, extremely competitive, political-correctness-what’s-that Sue Sylvester, I can’t imagine her in anything else.  And for that I not only expect that she will be nominated for an Emmy, but that she will probably win.

Below is an eight minute clip from last night’s episode…the first part includes Lynch, but of course I recommend watching the whole clip…

Hey readers! I’m going to try something new here at the blog…every Friday I’ll post links to some of the entertainment/pop culture stories of the week that I either didn’t get to or will revisit later. This new feature is just one more way to keep you in the know and to fulfill my destiny: to tirelessly provide invaluable fodder for fellow pop culture fanatics everywhere.

• For those of you who follow celebs on Twitter, Tracy Morgan (30 Rock) is now Twittering, thanks to a viral campaign.–The Wall Street Journal
• One of my favorite TV shows, Southland, has been canceled. Of course.–The Hollywood Reporter
• Another one of those extended 15 minutes…not only is Levi Johnston (Bristol Palin’s baby daddy/thorn in Sarah Palin’s side) going to pose in Playgirl, but he’s now in an ad for…wait for it…nuts.–dlisted
• Speaking of Playgirl, Marge Simpson is going to be in Playboy, and on the cover no less! Yes, the same Marge Simpson from the Fox animated cartoon series–E!Online
• Another Vacation movie is in the works, but here’s how this one is going to differ from all the other Vacation movies: it’s going to be a sequel to the very first one…mmkay.–The Hollywood Reporter/HeatVisionBlog

Italy never looked better!

It was nice to get away from Sterling Cooper for a bit…August in New York may be slow and empty, but for the Mad Men kids there is still plenty of drama to be had!

*********************SPOILER ALERT, so  for the love of Betty’s magnificent updo and dangerously-sexy Italian make-over, please don’t read any further if you don’t want to know what happened in Episode 8

******************************************************************************************************

RECAP:

• Don is now traveling quite a bit for Hilton Hotels, he takes Betty on a two-day trip to Rome
• Betty gets Henry Francis to speak on behalf of the Junior League and their development-halting efforts at a local hearing with the town mayor and trustees. Henry presents a memo, from the Governor’s office, insisting that more research needs to be done. Oh, and at the end of the evening Henry kisses Betty, she doesn’t stop him.
• Pete decides to be neighborly and help out the Au Pair living down the hall–she had ruined one of her employer’s dresses (that she had borrowed without permission). He takes the dress to a department store to exchange it, and runs into Joan, who is now working there. Later, Pete gets drunk and forces a kiss on the nanny, which leads his neighbor to tell him to back off. This all occurs while Trudy is vacationing with her parents.
• Sally kisses Ernie (Francine’s son) and then beats on her little brother for teasing her about it. Carla tells Betty about Sally’s anger issues  (and the kiss).

SUMMARY:

I’m still recovering from that whirlwind trip to Italy, hot! hot! hot! Let’s first discuss Betty… she’s got that Henry Francis in the palm of her hand…but it’s the attention and respect from her husband she so desperately wants. The happiness and satisfaction she felt after the success at the hearing,  she was so giddy and confident to speak with Don about something important and worthy, and outside their household.  It was interesting how she shared all the details with Don, when he doesn’t tell her anything about his job, but she was able to conceal the kiss she had with Henry (a technique she picked up from Don, perhaps?).

But as we know, Betty’s heightened sophistication and power didn’t stop there–it continued in Italy–which, if I’m not mistaken, I believe that’s where the Drapers went on their honeymoon. She spoke the language fluently, she indulged at the salon, where she emerged looking like a fashion model (which we know she used to be). She was flirtatious and aggressive with Don, it was as if they had gone back in time, before the house in the suburbs and the kids, when they were just newlyweds in Manhattan, madly in love.

And then it was back to reality…and that morning-back-at-the-house scene, with Don heading to work and Betty in a simple summer dress and her hair in a headband, she was so irritated, wiping at her dress and so obviously miserable being back in her kitchen, my heart just broke for her. Italy wasn’t just a romantic getaway for her, it was a two-day delay from her life…

…”When you have no power, delay”…which is what Henry said to Betty after the hearing, and we know it stuck because she repeated it back to Don. At the end of the episode she says to Don that she “hates this place, our friends, this town.” Don giving her the charm from Italy didn’t help things either, the souvenir of another life, another path, a reminder of what she doesn’t have, “then I can have something to look at when I tell the story about Rome.”

And finally, to wrap up Betty, let’s delve into that heart-to-heart she had with Sally, about kisses.  I felt like Betty was talking to herself, and Sally was just there to help absorb her thoughts:

Betty: I don’t want you running around kissing boys (which Betty has now done twice, the guy in the bar last season, and of course Henry)...and you don’t kiss boys, boys kiss you…the first kiss is very special.

Sally: But I already did it, it’s over.

Betty: You are going to have a lot of first kisses. You are going to want it to be special so you remember. It’s where you go from being a stranger to knowing someone. Every kiss with them after that is a shadow of that kiss.

So, what does this mean for her and Henry? It’s like the child in her and the adult in her are wrestling for control…she loves the idea of first kisses, but they also mean something to her, they have significance, it’s more than just being whimsical. Did she convince herself not to let things with Henry move forward?  I would guess that based on her conversation with Francine about the water tower, and the possibility of seeking further help from Henry, her quick “I’m done with that” response had double-meaning. Yet, it seems that Henry’s attention gives her confidence, fills that void from Don, and then when she approaches Don she feels more in control. But of course, this is Mad Men, and they are constantly making us guess, so we who knows what that Betty Draper will do?

And speaking of people surprising us, and then not surprising us: Pete Campbell. I was so touched that he was compelled to help out the neighbor nanny. And then of course, the old drunken obnoxious thoughtless conniving Pete Campbell came back.  He just can’t pick a side, can he? With Trudy gone, no social life, sleeping in front of the TV, he easily dwindled back into a Pete completely out of control, fueled by loneliness and fear.

One last thing I want to cover: Joan…working in the department store, helping out Pete. She appeared to be composed, and in charge, but we know she was suffering inside–this was not the life she had hoped for. I’m glad they gave us a glimpse of Joan, just to remind us that she’s not gone, but I’m so concerned for her. She’s always taking care of everyone else, making concessions for everyone else…please tell me the Mad Men kids have something good cooking for Joan somewhere down the line.

All right, that’s enough rehashing for now…this Sunday’s episode, “Wee Small Hours” features Betty hosting a fundraiser (so, maybe Henry isn’t bye-bye just yet?).

As a disgruntled  “Lost” junkie I’m trying to be more selective with the recent rash of sci-fi sub-genre TV series, or as I fondly refer to them as: is-it-the-end-of-the-world-or-maybe-just-time-travel-whatever-let’s-throw-in-some-paranormal-aspects-action-dramas.  I’m waiting for “Lost” to finally end (Spring 2010) and for creator, J.J. Abrams to put us all out of our misery of nearly six years of zigzagging and endless plot-lines, broken promises and half-assed resolutions.  For those of you who were able to resist the show’s initial allure, it has pretty much been a massive tangle of absurd details and way out there theories resulting in  confused “WTF’s!!” screamed at my TV.

Despite my frustrations with “Lost,” I found myself a few months back catching up on the first season of “Fringe,” another J.J. Abrams creation. However unlike “Lost,” it has managed to stay in control.  The arch/plot points have remained pretty consistent and the weird/obscure details are regularly explained–but the show continues to keep a balance of mystery and intrigue. It is currently in its second season and so far it’s been fantastic.

So, I decided what the heck, I’ll give “FlashForward” a shot, ABC’s latest drama that fits nicely in the sci-fi sub-genre, just to see if it had the potential to rival Abrams’ cult-following efforts.

Unfortunately, the answer is no. After watching the first two episodes it’s pretty clear: this show is not worth getting involved.  It’s a J.J. Abrams wannabe. And sadly, in this case, the knock-off (unlike handbags and generic store-brands) is not passable.

They did a decent job of trying to trick those of us familiar with “Lost” by actually using actors from “Lost” (Penny and Charlie) and even some actors who kind of look like characters from “Lost” (Mark Benford in  F.F. looks exactly like Richard from Lost).  And there’s even one scene that includes a billboard for Oceanic Airlines–the airline that crashed on the now infamous island.

Sheesh!

I don’t want to give too much away in case some of you haven’t seen it yet and would like to waste an hour or two check it out, but the writing, acting and the pacing doesn’t really work. It’s rushed, extremely predictable and falls way short on being gripping or even interesting. Don’t get me wrong, the formula is all there, but obviously the kids in charge aren’t synergizing so well. Which is a shame, because the creators have serious pedigree—”24″, The Dark Knight, X-Men Origins. I just don’t trust how this whole concept—everyone blacking out at the exact same time for two minutes and seeing into their future—is going to play out, with things already tired and underwhelming this early in the season/series.

Anyway, I guess what this all comes down to is that I have an extra hour of TV watching up for grabs…and in the meantime  I’ll just stick with the upcoming “Lost” finale/goodbye, and wait and see if J.J. Abrams turns “Fringe” into another painful loathing TV show/love-hate relationship that has me sticking around until the bitter end.