Tag Archives: Jon Hamm

Lena Dunham Created A Promo For The New Yorker iPhone App

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I have seen some of Lena Dunham‘s work via Netflix (Tiny Furniture) and became a fan of her HBO show, Girls (I can hardly wait until the new season starts in 2013!). With movies and a show already under her belt, she now has a new achievement: creating a promo ad for the New Yorker iPhone app.

The promo video shows a very confused Jon Hamm as a late night TV host talking with Lani Darham (Lena Dunham) about the app. It cuts to a demo of the app by her to a Alex Karpovsky (also from Girls/Tiny Furniture). If you think you’re having connection issues while watching this video, think again. The late night TV portion is shot/edited to look like it was recorded decades ago or very low budget.

Jon Hamm is best known for portraying a mysterious, marketing director, Don Draper, on AMC’s Mad Men but he’s no stranger to comedic roles (e.g. Bridesmaids, SNL, 30 rock). He makes a bunch of unchallenged comments like “what’s an app?” and “you can’t watch TV on an iPad”.

Take a look below. I LOVE the awkward handshake at the end and the poke at corporate hype of apps.

But we just have one question: What about Android?

The “The Friends With Kids” Cast Looks Very Familiar

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As a trailer addict, I couldn’t help but notice a new trailer for Friends With Kids. As a man in his early 30’s, the title hit close to home, so I decided to take a gander in hope for an appealing premise or great cast ensemble. Luckily, I scored 2 for 2.

The trailer begins with a dinner table scene among two couples discussing a third couple’s whereabouts. We see Maya Rudolph (Leslie), Chris O’Dowd (Alex), Adam Scott (Jason), and a relatively unknown Jennifer Westfeldt (Julie). Jon Hamm (Ben) and Kristen Wiig (Missy) then enter the room trying to cover up the obvious scandalous act that held them up.  Next we see Jason and Julie talking about having a baby out of wedlock. In fact, they’re not even a couple. They’re just platonic friends. It’s like “Knocked Up” minus the accident factor. Later, the story introduces Edward Burns and Megan Fox, who appear to be love interests of Julie and Jason.

Curious about Jennifer Westfeldt, I decided to do some research and discovered some interesting facts about her. Her role in the Friends With Kids is actually quite significant. She stars, directed, and wrote it. She’s quite the triple threat! Just in case you weren’t jealous of her yet, she’s also Jon Hamm’s main squeeze.

It’s like someone decided everyone in Bridesmaids worked so well together, they had to do another movie and I’m totally okay with that. Sadly, Chris O’Dowd left behind his Irish accent. Since he isn’t playing a historical figure, I don’t agree with that decision but hopefully I’ll be proven wrong.

I was one of the last people to watch Bridesmaids but still found it to be a very enjoyable movie. Nope, none of the hype phased me. I just adore Kristin Wiig and LOVED Jon Hamm‘s bizarro Don Draper character, Ted.

Friends With Kids will be distributed by Lionsgate and is scheduled to arrive in theaters March 9, 2012.

My Man Crush on Don Draper

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Television series have a double edged sword when it comes to character development: every episode presents the opportunity/challenge of developing a character. Remind the viewers why they love OR hate a character and they’ll keep coming back.

I’m barely finishing Season 1 of AMC’s Mad Men and am having trouble thinking of another male lead in television that I’ve been so attracted to. A lot of guys would suggest Jack Bauer (from Fox’s 24 series) as the ideal male character to vicariously live through. Bauer represents many of the adolescent fantasies one could conjure up: firing guns, pounding faces with our bare hands, and making things explode all for the sake of protecting the United States. Although Don Draper doesn’t have as many action scenes as Bauer, they both are a vessel for a multitude of issues and inner demons. Here’s a list of qualities for Don Draper, that I’ve become rather infatuated with.

(Note, if you haven't seen season 1, then there are spoilers)

Looks

Mad Men takes place in the 60’s. If there ever was an era that produced respectable fashion that stands the test of time, it’s the 60’s. Guys just look like such gentlemen with their skinny neckties/bows, perfectly cut, pressed suits, plastic/horn-rimmed glasses. Compared to the rest of the male cast on Mad Men, Draper, in particular, grabs your attention. Is it just a coincidence he also has the nicest hair in the show?

Jon Hamm, who plays Don Draper, has hit the big 40, but I could definitely see him as a great candidate for Superman. If there ever was a modern advertisement for cigarettes, this show would be it. At times, I think the show should include a warning that cigarette addiction can occur from watching it. One time, I had a moment where I was holding a screw in my hand and caught myself holding it between two fingers like a cigarette.

Most importantly, the show has redefined how I measure success: if I don’t have a stack of fresh shirts in my desk drawer, I have not made it.

Power

Who couldn’t use a little more pull? Professionally, he’s THE guy who’s opinion matters the most. In any meeting, there could be 10 other guys chiming in with advertising thoughts on how to sell a product, but in the end, it’s Draper’s opinion that hooks the client. His ability to seduce initially unimpressed prospective clients never fails to be fascinating. Beg to differ? Opposing his opinion most certainly makes you an enemy (Pete Campbell). The key to his power is also the fact he almost never feels threatened. Control is everything

Issues

If I’m being honest with myself, I think my the biggest draw of Don Draper is how much of a mess he is and we all know everyone loves looking at a train wreck. Draper represents the American dream of rags to riches formula with a generous pinch of self-destructive crazy. Let’s review what we know of him so far:

  • He’s a bastard: I can only imagine how big the chip on my shoulder would be if I was also a bastard child. Being a mistake never feels good, ESPECIALLY if you’re, literally, the son of a whore.
  • He changed his identity while serving in the Korean War. Um yeah… who does that? Who goes “I just saw my superior get blown apart. Wow! This corpse is super toasty and gooey. Oh hey, look; his dog tag is still in tact. Score!”?
  • He made eye contact with his half-brother while faking his death and denied him.

Don Draper is clearly a sex addict. He demonstrates how married men can have their cake and eat it too. Any pretty women that crosses his path are not safe from his charm and insatiable appetite for sex. Even after he’s done gallivanting during office hours, he’s still the man of the house at home.

If you were to look at the cast without seeing an episode you’d probably go “Wow. He’s married to January Jones! What a lucky guy. How could he possibly want to cheat on her?”. Well… Just watch the show, you’ll see how. Having sex with women appears to be as addictive to Draper as the cigarettes he smokes. If you haven’t figured out how Don Draper’s mind works when it comes to women, here’s the formula: if he finds you attractive, he WILL have sex with you.

Sigh.