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Buzz Gift Guide: Goodies For Gramps

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:30:06 -0800

Welcome back, folks, to the next installment of my Buzz Gift Guide series for all the entertainment lovers in your life. Yesterday I suggested some fun gifts for grandma (after tackling mom and dad), and that leaves us with grandpa!

The first thing I thought of for my grandpa was the soundtrack to AMC's hit show Mad Men. I know he'd enjoy the collection of tunes by artists like The Andrews Sisters, Bobby Vinton and Rosemary Clooney.

A lot of grandpas might also appreciate some help with ditching the old rabbit ears and updating to a digital converter. This model looked pretty sleek and shiny to me, and you can even help him apply for a coupon!

If your gramps is squared away technology-wise then he also might appreciate this Alfred Hitchcock DVD collection or the complete series of Get Smart.

Check out HolidaySugar for all of our holiday coverage and gift guides.

The Simpsons Parodies Mad Men, Charlie Brown Tonight

BuzzSugar — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 06:30:33 -0800

The Simpsons may not be must-see TV for me like it was a few years back, but I still try to make a point of watching the annual Halloween special, the Treehouse of Horror. Even though it usually airs after Halloween (thanks a lot, World Series), it keeps me in the spooky holiday mood with clever horror parodies.

I'm especially excited for this year's (19th!) episode because it includes a takeoff on one of my favorite Halloween traditions: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The producers even got the rights to use the film's classic score, which is basically burned into my brain from years of watching the TV special.

There's also a Transformers parody, and another of Mad Men called "How to Get Ahead in Dead-Vertising," which features Homer Simpson falling through the sky just like Don Draper in the opening credits. Will you be watching this year's Treehouse? You can watch a snippet of the Mad Men parody if you

Which Mad Men Lady Is Your Favorite?

PopSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:45:54 -0700

Which Mad Men Lady Is Your Favorite? The men of Mad Men can sometimes be like train wrecks — I have to watch them even when I find some of them repellent. And while Don Draper may be the center of the show, I actually think it's the ladies who keep me coming back for more week after week. The fashion is amazing for one thing, and Joan, Peggy, and Betty are some of the most fascinating and heartbreaking female characters on television right now.

Which Mad Men Lady Is Your Favorite?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:30:32 -0700

The men of Mad Men can sometimes be like train wrecks — I have to watch them even when I find some of them repellent. And while Don Draper may be the center of the show, I actually think it's the ladies who keep me coming back for more week after week. The fashion is amazing for one thing, and Joan, Peggy, and Betty are some of the most fascinating and heartbreaking female characters on television right now.I know picking a favorite can be hard but give it a try anyway. Now that we're at the end of season two, which Mad Men lady do you like best?Photos courtesy of AMC

Which Mad Men Lady Is Your Favorite?

Joan

Betty

Peggy

Other (I'll tell you below)

Mad Men Rundown: Episode 13, "Meditations in an Emergency"

PopSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:20:39 -0700

Mad Men Rundown: Episode 13, "Meditations in an Emergency" The storm clouds swirled on this week's exciting season finale of Mad Men. As the terror of the Cuban missile crisis thrums below the surface, everyone copes with the prospect of the end of the world in his or her own way. The entire episode has a nihilistic vibe to it, with characters weighing each moment against the idea that it could be their last.

Mad Men Rundown: Episode 13, "Meditations in an Emergency"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:30:16 -0700

The storm clouds swirled on this week's exciting season finale of Mad Men. As the terror of the Cuban missile crisis thrums below the surface, everyone copes with the prospect of the end of the world in his or her own way. The entire episode has a nihilistic vibe to it, with characters weighing each moment against the idea that it could be their last.

But worrying isn't just for global affairs: the ad men of Sterling Cooper are also fretting about big changes a little closer to home. If you know what I mean and want to chat about it,

You, Too, Can Pick Up Women Just Like Don Draper

PopSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:45:50 -0700

You, Too, Can Pick Up Women Just Like Don Draper It's been a very Mad Men weekend around here. In addition to the second-season finale on Sunday night, about which I'll have a lot more to say in just a little while, Jon Hamm also stopped by Saturday Night Live for a guest-hosting gig that poked some fun at Mad Men and Hamm's character, Don Draper.

You, Too, Can Pick Up Women Just Like Don Draper

BuzzSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 08:15:17 -0700

It's been a very Mad Men weekend around here. In addition to the second-season finale on Sunday night, about which I'll have a lot more to say in just a little while, Jon Hamm also stopped by Saturday Night Live for a guest-hosting gig that poked some fun at Mad Men and Hamm's character, Don Draper.

A bunch of Hamm's sketches were funny — I was pretty impressed with him overall — and it was great to see fellow Mad Men actors Elisabeth Moss and John Slattery pop up in one of the scenes. But hands-down, my favorite sketch of the night was "Don Draper's Guide to Picking Up Women," which would probably be a classic even if it weren't possibly Amy Poehler's last SNL appearance ever (congrats to her, by the way). To get some relationship advice from the slick womanizer himself, just

TV Tonight: Mad Men's Season Two Finale

BuzzSugar — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 07:30:45 -0700

Sigh — it's here. The end of Mad Men (for this season, anyway — it's coming back). I can't believe it! Sundays will feel a little different heading into the Winter without the drama of the gang at Sterling Cooper.

The final episode is titled "Meditations in an Emergency," and the only small hint AMC is giving us is: "Sterling Cooper is in play and the office scrambles without Don. Betty learns some disconcerting news." So that tells me that things are really going to get nuts in the office as this merger goes through, and apparently Don won't be back (right away? at all?) to save the day. I'm starting to wonder how legit this whole thing is given that Don wasn't able to place an official vote at the partner meeting last week.

Also! What about Don and Betty? I feel like we need one more mega-confrontation between the two before we break. And is Joan going to marry this guy? Dump him? I wonder why they would make her hit bottom last week if they weren't setting us up for something in the finale. And finally, Peggy's going to learn something, but who knows what it will be. Maybe Don's true identity? Maybe something about her baby? Perhaps Father Gill admits a crush (that's my secret Thornbirds-esque hope)?

Regardless of how it all turns out, 'tis a bittersweet combo of excitement and sadness that it's over for now. To check out a scene from tonight's episode, in which the gang speculates about Don's whereabouts all this time,

TV This Weekend: Mad Men And Britannia High

PopSugarUK — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:00:00 -0700

This weekend I'd like to draw your attention to a couple of television shows hitting our screens. First up, the first season of the absolutely fantastic drama Mad Men is going to be repeated on BBC4 starting on Saturday evening at 11.30pm and I would highly recommend you watch or record it if you haven't seen it before. It's a stylish, thought provoking and fabulously acted series set at one of New York's most prestigious advertising agencies at the beginning of the 1960s. The storylines interweave to present the work and home lives of the execs and the secretaries, and has period detail that will immerse you completely in the era. Watch, watch, watch!

On a completely different tack, ITV1's musical drama series Britannia High begins on Sunday night at 6.15pm, starring Skins' Mitch Hewer, yummy Adam Garcia and a bunch of relative newcomers portraying the kids and teachers at a stage school and the teen dramas that ensue. I've had a sneak peek at the series, and it's a fun, music-filled experience that will appeal to High School Musical fans and anyone who loves a good sing song.