I used to make fun of the people who analyzed and delved into "Mad Men" with Talmudic intensity. Then I became one of them. I know that it’s just a show. I mean, I know. I’m not one of those people who obsess about every design element on display, drooling over furniture choices and debating the meaning of a whiskey brand. And I’m certainly not one of those people who see historical foreshadowing in every nuance.  Believe me, when I’m watching Don Draper, history is not at the forefront of my m

Long ago, in a world few remember, there was a concept known as the TV season. To give you some context, this was during a time when a cell was something only thought of in biology terms, text was strictly a noun and watching TV on your computer was as foreign an idea as owning your own spaceship.   The fall season was the biggest event on the TV calendar. After a summer suffering through repeats (yes, there were no new shows during the summer, the humanity!), the third week of September was a time of great joy heralded throughout the land. Your

There are certain elements that exist in every John Hughes movie: someone lives on the wrong side of the tracks (and there are actual tracks); money is a big part of people’s lives, whether they have it or they don’t; the music is perfect; and the beautiful agony of being a teenager is treated, for once, with respect and kindness.

William Morris Endeavor, the new powerhouse agency, announced to its New York assistants that their pay will be reduced to between $10 to $14 hours.

Being an assistant at an agency is a training program that can best be described as a mix of boot camp, Abu Ghraib and the worst fraternity on campus. For these Ivy league overachievers, the immediate goal is usually to get on a "good desk," become a junior agent and then wake up 10 years later as Ari Gold, hopefully without remembering everything you did to get there.

The public was caught off-guard by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s announcement that the best picture category would now allow for 10 nominations.

 

Which prompted me to whip up this made-up memo. The Academy likes memos.

 

To: All Academy Members

 

After much consideration and extensive deliberations, the Academy has decided to broaden the nominees for the six major categories to 10 nominees.