Madmen.

Madmin.  I haven’t enjoyed a photo this much in a long time.

Read a great interview with Mad Men creator/writer Matthew Weiner, c/o Rolling Stone.

Mad Men finale.

Well the season started slow but man it finished stroooong.  Like a big 2007 Napa Cab, like a 19 year old Lagavulin, like the guy always just behind Usain Bolt.

I know for a fact that I don’t understand all of the subtlety and subtext of Mad Men, but I feel I catch most of it and I enjoy it.  This interview with creator Matthew Weiner about this season was really great.  He divulged more about the characters than I thought he would, which helped clarify why he did what he did with the storyline.  Really liked this finale.

And 5 spacebucks says you love this song. You’ve totally bopped to this song.

RJD2 – A Beautiful Mine

The quick Mad Men season.

This one felt very fast, don’t know why.  Until about two or three weeks ago, I was about to give up on this program.  Love Don, love Joan, love to hate Peter Campbell, like Roger Sterling.  Ohh Joanie.  Costumes and sets are undeniably mesmerizing.  But how about we do something else other than Don wooing a pretty slim lady and feeling f’ed up about it.  The self-loathing and whining is trying, and Peggy is doin Duck.  Gross.  That’s worthy of crawling out of one’s skin.

I won’t ruin it for non-watchers, but the blankity blank blank, blank blanks blank.  I mean the last few episodes have been amazing and partially renewed my faith.  Anyone excited for the finale next week ?

Ayn Rand and the rainbows.

Evidently her books are flying off the shelves these days.  In other words, people really watch Mad Men way too closely, or more are interested in libertarianism.  Two big books – 1943′s Fountainhead and 1957′s epic bestseller Atlas Shrugged.

I was admittedly first introduced to Ayn Rand and her writing through the show – it gets a fair bit of attention from show creator Matthew Weiner.  Her message of objectivism, individual liberty, and opposition to the welfare state is clearly a powerful one.  Not only because of the far-reaching differences compared to our current economic and political system, but because they are often based on straight up, no-bullshit reason. Many accuse Ayn Rand of extremeism.  Don’t assume I’m marginalizing because her views were unconventional.  I reguarly try to check my head to ensure that doesn’t happen.  You know, keeping that mediocre minds Einstein quote burning.  Truth.  What I do admirably respect is her brutal honesty and dedication to reason in a time that did not treat reason as the centrepiece of morality.

Really I find the sole question between all of these economic, political, and ideological conversations boils down to one big question that once answered will dictate one’s direction.  Do you want to focus on your own life, happiness, and who and what you value or do you want to achieve value and happiness by sacrificing some (or even a lot) of yourself for the betterment of others?

However, if your values are self-sacrificing, then don’t you automatically fall into the second category? This question seems so simple but to me it’s instantly confusing.  Everyone is instinctively wired selfish, right?  That’s what we keep hearing.  Plus what else do you have besides your own brain, reason, and thought?  Should we flow and go and reject what feels unnatural?  Or do we want to try and be/feel selfless, in hopes of equal opportunity and sweet lovey warm feel.  It’s interesting how this concept of economic or political sacrifice could have derived directly from religious (Judeo-Christian) sacrifice. Cross and everything.

Objectivism likens this altruistic sacrifice to being socially enslaved, and in turn condoning corrupt governments that consistently increase in power and use force to push their agenda(s).  All technically true in some way.  Collectivism spins Ayn Rand’s philosophies as morally selfish, collectively regressive, and leads to one of the most misunderstood words of our generation – anarchism.  I personally have trouble visualizing how a massively reduced government state would function.  Not because of dr. doom paranoid reasons, just operational questions – accountability of actions, proof of effectiveness of their policies, the need to research/monitor social effects.

It’s likely an unfair comparison, but I put communism and libertarianism at opposite sides of the spectrum.  We all have seen that communism you know… “hasn’t worked out so well – sounds great on paper but not in real life” deals.  Would it be unfair to assume the same for the exact opposite?  Maybe, maybe not.  But good talk.

Mad (Libs) Men.

Click here or on image ^^.  NreallySFW.  For fans of either Mad Libs union Mad Men.  That better be all of you, I’ve covered all possible bases.  You don’t need to have seen the show but it helps.

One of the better CollegeHumour skits I’ve seen. Sorry I can’t embed non-YouTube videos, free WordPress is verging on weak.

[via Videogum]

My 2008.

I feel like Oprah.  Because here are some of my favourites.

Favourite Albums of 2008 – see following post, I like to write too much.

Biggest Album Disappointments of 2008

M83 – Saturdays = Youth - his earlier stuff is so much better, less 80s.
Kings of Leon – Only By The Night – Because of the Times will be their pinnacle, doubt they will top it.
Coldplay – Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends – I think they ran out of steam in 2003, and I just hope they don’t try to make records for the next 25 years.  Even with my favourite producer of all time (Brian Eno), the songs remain uninspired and lack any real vision for them to be a real world-class band.
My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges – an interesting branch-out, but the songs fell flat overall.  Z is a much better record for me.
Bloc Party – Intimacy – If their next record stinks, they should stop.  1 amazing record, and now two shitty ones.  Too bad.
Hayden – In Field and Town – more bland acoustic rock.  Hayden, you were my duuude!  Your sinking ship is leaving.

Favourite Book - The Road, Cormac McCarthy.  I admittedly don’t read as much as I should, I only read a handful of books this year.  But this one was a stunnah.  A massively popular book and for good reason.  Minimalist style, a great story mixed with love and apocalypse.  A bit verbose with imagery but it helps plant yourself in their world and still feel as distraught and bleak as the characters.  Look out for the movie this year, it’s going to be an even bigger franchise than it already is.

Favourite Movie – Milk.   The only movie that moved me this year, and it was so great.  Sean Penn continues to destroy.  Emile Hirsch is my new hero.  James Franco disappointed me a bit, was hoping for better.  I’m not normally a wet blanket, but I was underwhelmed with so many movies this year that were supposed to be the year’s best – Tell No One, Wall-E, My Winnipeg, and yes even the Dark Knight.  Still need to see The Visitor, Synecdoche New York Rachel Getting Married, Up The Yangtze, Slumdog Millionaire, and the Wrestler still.

Favourite TV – Mad Men, The Office, The Hour, Top Chef, 30 Rock, The Main.  And of course the staples of Colbert, Conan, SNL.

Favourite websites – Stereogum/Videogum, Spacing, Metacritic, Popurls.

The Mad Men wagon.

It’s not a popular stance, but I think we are in a period of really high quality in television.  Lots of people love to trash TV but I think that’s too easy.  It’s a very accessible way to reach people and display one’s art.  Yes it can be exploited and yes there is MTV, but there’s major potential to really move people for extended periods of time and still maintain high artistic quality.  HBO and AMC are two of the leaders, and Mad Men is a crowning example.  Never have I been so impressed with the quality and depth that an adventurous TV show can provide.   Amazing serial dramas in Mad Men and The Wire, (periodically) dark comedies in Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Office, specialty channels (great for the chef and interior designer in us all), all which can be taped on your PVR or TiVo to avoid commercials and maybe even get recommendations for other things that will inform and entertain.  And if you like it so much, you can even buy a well packaged season on DVD.  What’s so horrible about that?

I just finished the first season of Mad Men, starting the second nowish.  The past few years I’ve had a TV series to start/finish while on the Christmas break.  Last year was a major guilty indulgence in Entourage.  This year I have been almost completely loving Mad Men.  You’ve likely heard the buzzes and blips, and it’s pretty much all warranted.  The winning points are clear and well documented – the historical accuracy and comprehensive styling of the show, and the instant infatuation with the polar protagonist Don Draper (actor Jon Hamm recently won a Golden Globe and is likely the next great classic movie star ala Clooney, Pitt, etc).   So many strong and beautifully-acted characters, it’s truly difficult to pick a favourite.  Each of them show their unique struggles and dark moments.

The only complaint I have is the popularity of the polar dichotomy in characters in some recent television shows that have received critical acclaim.   Dexter’s cool,calm/sociopath and Don Draper’s perfectman/slimebag seems a bit too black and white.  For a series so concerned with reality, I’m sure this happens but to show it in this extreme way seems a bit overly dramatized.

Creator Matthew Weiner (formerly worked on The Sopranos) has extreme creative control, and was inspired by a lot of socially relevant issues for this period in time – Ralph Nader’s classic “Unsafe at Any Speed“, the canon of Alfred Hitchcock (the influence is definitely there), the growth of women’s rights and civil rights in early 60s culture, how Kennedy changed the Western world, and the ugly side of the prosperous and soma-filled post-war boom.