@AndPreciousLittleofThat: Maybe it's too early to say, but doesn't Sal's trajectory look a bit like that? From artwork to directing commercials, etc. And does the sex angle in Sal's story suggest that sex played a part in Kater Gordon's as well?
I interviewed Matthew Weiner at a major press tour during Season 2. He spent a good 35 minutes with me- a hefty sum for a lowly mid-size blog. (I think I had been allotted @20.) The guy after me wrote for a major outlet, but he wouldn't stop until he had answered all of my questions. He was respectful, passionate and knowledgeable. He may be a control freak, but that's what an auteur is and we shouldn't criticize him for it. That is, after all, how and why we have the show we watch and love each week.
@Lulupasternak: yes and no. WGA like SAG sets minimums but a figure with a rep can have a 'quote' that is higher because of that past work.
as for the rumors,if he had done something inappropriate we'd have heard about it about 5 minutes after she was fired.
I'm inclined to believe the worst about Weiner because of the way he has taken all the credit for Mad Men when so much of the good stuff is the work of the art/design team. His interviews lately have been a wee more generous but mostly he seems like an egomaniac. His attempts to pass himself off as some sort of expert on the this aspect of the sixties is pathetic. I have a ph.d. in American history and my one personal interaction with Weiner years ago (just before Mad Men debuted) made me realize his level of understanding was shallower than some high school students I taught. It all boils down to this: Weiner's a dick. Contrast him with David Simon, who is at least his equal as a crazy hard-to-work-with genius: Every time Simon's interviewed he is incredibly generous in giving praise to all the people who have contributed to the show. Would I like to have dinner with either? Probably not. But one I would work for.
@blahniksforlife: The production designer doesn't write the scripts! You might have a PhD in history, but you don't know shit about how TV series are made.
@blahniksforlife: Yes, how dare Weiner take credit for Mad Men, the show he only fucking created.
A dick, is he? You've failed to prove that, and I'm sorry but our time is up. Please accept our consolation prizes, and our sympathy for your wild imagining that we care about your career.
@Lulupasternak:
there is some genuinely good writing on Mad Men but almost none of that has to do with it being a period piece. They are universal stories about people, careers, and relationships. The much lauded period details are mostly superficial (oohh she wears a girdle, the office lamp was actually made in 1962) and reflect the care and input of the production team. Television is a collaborative medium. Much of the period "expertise" reflects the hard work and input of others not Weiner's deep knowledge.
The show is good when it talks about universal truths not when it teaches about the sixties. When it tries to teach us about men and suburbia in the sixties its a weak imitation of truly great novels by the likes of Richard Yates, John Cheever, and John Updike.
I'm sorry you misunderstood my comment but using profanity to insult me is just poor taste.
@Baroness: I was going to include this as sourced information, but apparently, the fact that Weiner is a megalomaniac is well noted by his studio execs, his production execs, his agents, everyone. So, if that helps. There's not a juicy scandal in this. But it's a questionable power play.
In all fairness to Weiner, only one person was allowed to speak when multiple people won an Emmy at this year's ceremony. It was a rule put in place to keep the show moving. And, of course, being the boss, he should be the one who gets to talk in the case of a win.
I believe it was an NPR interview where I heard that Matthew Weiner based the Don Draper/Peggy dynamic on his relationship with David Chase when they were working on "The Sopranos". Nevertheless, that clip above sent chills up my spine.
I don't know what the reason was, but I'm with the last commenter above. She got the sole credit for "The Fog" episode, and I thought that one was horrible. So I say go ahead and bring in the next batch.
"episode credits are often given to assistants as a reward for their hard work as an assistant. Sometimes, the assistants don’t even write the episode they get a credit for. Usually, they write a first draft, which is then heavily rewritten."
@Lulupasternak: Interesting bit from Ms Finke there. but the reason they get the credit is cause they wrote the original. per WGA rules. there have been law suits by first draft writers who were rewritten and the credit was going to go to the second string.
When will we reach the saturation point for armchair judgmentalismism, so that everyone will finally tend to their own house rather than deflect and point?
Hmm...I guess that question would seem less insane in a pre-internet society, huh?
@Foster Kamer: Rotten enough to publicly tear down the man? I don't know. Does anyone? There's the whole "$50 punishment for a $5 crime" thing floating around.
@unclevanya: No, but rotten enough to float a few theories. I don't think this man's being torn down. Maybe it's not true at all! Sometimes, flacks are telling the honest to god truth, or the honest to god truth they're being told by their clients. But a lot of people put these questions out there.
@eorbital: The movie certainly has some arresting moments earlier on, but once the feud between Will Smith and the "Zombie General" begins, the movie just goes completely downhill. The movie could have been quite good if it didn't follow the cynical Hollywood truism that we must have a recognizable central villain, and that he must yowl at the audience in an extreme close-up so we know he's the bad guy to focus our attention on. And god, the ending was just ... horrid. Why am I supposed to be touched by an ending which lionizes the martyrdom of a fictional figure? That move only works in biopics and documentaries.
Wait, did "I Am Legend" really happen?
10/12/09
10/12/09
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10/11/09
It's a WGA show. He doesn't have a ton of choice.
10/11/09
as for the rumors,if he had done something inappropriate we'd have heard about it about 5 minutes after she was fired.
10/11/09
10/11/09
10/12/09
A dick, is he? You've failed to prove that, and I'm sorry but our time is up. Please accept our consolation prizes, and our sympathy for your wild imagining that we care about your career.
10/12/09
there is some genuinely good writing on Mad Men but almost none of that has to do with it being a period piece. They are universal stories about people, careers, and relationships. The much lauded period details are mostly superficial (oohh she wears a girdle, the office lamp was actually made in 1962) and reflect the care and input of the production team. Television is a collaborative medium. Much of the period "expertise" reflects the hard work and input of others not Weiner's deep knowledge.
The show is good when it talks about universal truths not when it teaches about the sixties. When it tries to teach us about men and suburbia in the sixties its a weak imitation of truly great novels by the likes of Richard Yates, John Cheever, and John Updike.
I'm sorry you misunderstood my comment but using profanity to insult me is just poor taste.
10/12/09
10/11/09
10/11/09
10/11/09
10/11/09
10/11/09
"episode credits are often given to assistants as a reward for their hard work as an assistant. Sometimes, the assistants don’t even write the episode they get a credit for. Usually, they write a first draft, which is then heavily rewritten."
10/11/09
10/11/09
Hmm...I guess that question would seem less insane in a pre-internet society, huh?
10/11/09
10/11/09
10/11/09
10/11/09
10/11/09
10/11/09
10/11/09
08/06/09
08/06/09
08/06/09
08/06/09
Wait, did "I Am Legend" really happen?
08/06/09
08/06/09