Mad Men Prep

Giulia's editor has heard from more than a few people this last week, all confessing Mad Men ignorance. They want to jump on board but are afraid it is too late. People, people. It is never too late. It is good to catch up, though, because these are not cardboard characters; you will find their sometimes awful behavior less upsetting if you like them first. Like in real life.

So here's what you do. You catch up on Netflix, where the four complete seasons stream. (Or Hulu or iTunes. But seriously it is a much better deal via Netflix.)

If you don't have time or patience for that, catch up in your own time & follow these links:

AMC's Mad Men page for newbies.

Rolling Stone's Season 4 recap

One of the best Mad Men blogs is Basket of Kisses with cultural guides & episode reviews. We still loathe the new design but the material is excellent.

Vulture's Mad Men section. Go & read.

If you have some more time:

Ezra Pound Cake's Mad Men week with easy recipes (bonus: funny writer)

AMC's Mad Men Yourself for those avatars you keep seeing on Facebook & Twitter

Rolling Stone's Ultimate Mad Men Playlist

If you do not have a television or cable: do not despair. We watch it on iTunes the next day. The season pass is available now & individual episodes are usually available for purchase the day after the show airs.

ciao-meow/GGCM

(Betty & Don in Rome by Carin Baer for Lionsgate)

Mad Men Fashion Flipbook

We're going through withdrawal! Presently we're listening to Season 3 commentary. (Next up: Season 4 commentary is recently available via Netflix in America & Canada.) A quick trip to AMC's Mad Men site is fun. There are games, trivia quizzes & videos. If that seems a bit much, a quick trip through the (fairly) new fashion flipbook is amusing. Janie Bryant comments on some of her favorite outfits & characters. For an inspired Mad Men menu, hop over to the funny Ezra Pound Cake. We're making two recipes for the upcoming holiday weekend.

ciao-meow/GG MM Central

(photograph via Lionsgate)

A Basket of Kisses for Mad Men

With the fate of Mad Men finalized, you might be thinking where oh where will I get my MM fix until March 2012? Where can I read features on the 1960s? Who are these "regular" people who get the interviews with creator Matt Weiner & MM actors? And perhaps most important - where can I read about ceramics of the 1960s? Basket of Kisses is the place for you.

The warm & witty Lipp Sisters rule with a benevolent hand & keep things moving in the most collegial manner. They spice it up with contributions from fellow Basketcases & fold in a judicious amount of side posts on movies & a few television programs. Roberta & Deborah introduce their blog thusly: Basket of Kisses: The unofficial blog of AMC's Mad Men. Where all the cool kids meet & greet to talk about Don Draper, Janie Bryant, Christina Hendricks, Jon Hamm, Matthew Weiner, & subtexty things.

Now run along & have a great Monday (& do something nice for at least one person or animal. OK?)

ciao-smolder-meow/GG Mad Men Central

(Mad Men fan art by lerms on Deviant Art via Basket of Kisses)

Update - Wednesday, 6 April 2011 - Netflix Instant will begin streaming MM on 27 July. Hoorah!

Party Like It's 1959

What if some of the most famous online services were launched in 1959? You would have "Everything Ages Fast" Faux Vintage Ads. From Apartment Therapy Unplggd via Teya Rutherford's Little Chuckles on Pinterest). Back to supervising Giulia--she wants to tweet...not sure if this is a good idea. Back tomorrow for New Year's Eve. xo

ciao-meow/GG Holiday Central

Play Dress-Up - Mad Men Yourself

Are you missing Mad Men? Are you supposed to be doing something else right now but musing & waiting for a good idea (or waiting to get out of a task?). It happens to the most productive of us. Go to AMC's Mad Men Yourself & play. (Be aware that some jazzy music will start up & we can't figure out how to mute it for you.) Set a timer so you don't spend more than 10 minutes. Then you're done. Here's our rather plain first attempt. Note the rolled-up newspaper, ready to whack (lightly) people for criticizing Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert for holding the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Keep Fear Alive here in Washington, DC on Saturday. Yes, we're going. No, it will not harm our democracy. That political satirists are allowed to have a rally in the middle of the national's capital IS the point.

By the way--if you're in the States, you are planning to vote next Tuesday -- if you've not already done so in early voting/absentee voting. Right? Hmmmm.

ciao-meow/GG's Mad Men Basket Case

(second image via Indecision Forever (dot) com)

Win "A Long Piece of String"

Hint--it's a children's book. Are you interested in vintage (ahem) 1963 children's literature? Are you American or Canadian? Well, go to Basket of Kisses & enter this giveaway. (Basket of Kisses is GG's editor's favorite blog about Mad Men.) You have until 31 October (this Sunday). All you have to do is visit & say to whom you would read the book if you won. Easy peasy. (images via Basket of Kisses)

ciao-meow/GG's editor

Daring to Design - Week's End

You don't have to be designer, nope. Visit Shabby Apple's website & learn all about it. GG's editor loves Shabby Apple & thinks that you ought to consider some creative activity this weekend. The contest opened on August 15 & closes October 15. It's really, really not too late. You can find out more on their blog An Apple a Day.

As loyal readers know, Giulia does not need a dress--she has the perfect outfit every single day. She's incredibly chic. It's also very chic to have good manners & care about others. That's why we are pleased by the following from Shabby Apple Dresses website:

We at Shabby Apple Dresses love to help women dress but are also commited to helping women live as well. Thus we are supporting the fight against global poverty by partnering with Unitus-a non-profit organization that accelerates access to life-changing financial services for those at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Shabby Apple donates 5% of its net sales to support work in India (where Shabby Apple Dresses has sourced many of its dresses and the textiles used to manufacture its dresses). In addition, each Shabby Apple Dresses customer has the opportunity to donate an extra five dollars to Unitus every time she buys a dress. Shabby Apple Dresses and Unitus are involved with 10 of India's most promising microfinance organizations that provide financial services to more than 1.6 million hard-working women and their families.

Every $100 donation from Shabby Apple Dresses provides at least 20 women with access to financial services - and the chance to live a life without poverty.

Each new Shabby Apple Dresses dress features a unique hang tag with a micro-credit success story.

Now, isn't that fabulous? Go forth & design!

ciao-chic-meow/GG Central

(Christina Hendricks of Mad Men via AMC; Shabby Apple dresses collage)