I didn't even realize Joan had roses on everything she wore when it related to her marriage or the crumbling of it. If Peggy is wearing yellow, it will be a good work day for her. Red is the power color for the females and the not so powerful for the men.
I am so late to this blog, but am fascinated by it. TomandLorenzo.com is the amazingly researched blog. According to Tom and Lorenzo, We’re essentially a pop culture blog with a special focus on celebrity and fashion. I have only paid attention to the TV portion of the blog (there's lots more). I do not watch a lot of the shows they cover, but for Mad Men alone it's worth a look. I will watch that show in a whole new light from now on. I might have to revisit on OnDemand.
I do watch Revenge and their comments on the season finale are priceless.
On Victoria: You can’t keep a good bitch in a bandage dress down.
On Emily: Oh, Hamptons Batman! What the hell were you thinking?
On Nolan: Thank goodness Hamptons Batman has her saddle-shoed Robin to watch her back.
I just watch Mad Men. As I've been reading, I was not the only one who was shocked to hear an original Beatles recording, Tomorrow Never Knows played on Mad Men. According to the Wall St Journal, Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner has been trying to license the Beatles for a few years. Original recordings are rarely, if ever heard in films or TV. When Megan gave Don a copy of Revolver and told him to start listening with this track, I thought for sure they would reference the song title and that was it.
The WSJ also goes on to talk about the alleged money paid by Lionsgate to license the track: a whopping $250,00, yes a quarter of a million dollars.
Two very smart song placements have been heard on the show. Of course the Beatles, which was a coup and the Beach Boys' I Just Wasn't Made For These Times, which played during Roger's mushroom trip.
Mad Men comes back to life on March 25th, the start of the 5th season. Does anyone even remember what happened in season 4? I'm really digging into my memory bank to pull something out.
The show's creator Matthew Weiner has said he hopes to give viewers a reward for sticking with the show.
The new poster has gotten plenty of attention. Weiner in describing the poster said it is “a nonverbal representation of where my head is at and where the show will be. By the end of the season, I guarantee you’ll know what it is about.”
Don is looking in a store window. His image is part of the scene. He is part of this scene. From the looks of the male mannequin my prediction is: by the end of Season 5, Don becomes Hugh Hefner. Of note, the Playboy TV series that debuted last year was short lived.
When music is placed correctly in a TV show, film or commercial, it makes the piece that much better. It adds to the storyline. Music can become an additional character in the plot. Gary Calamar, the music supervisor for Dexter, among other shows, said there wasn't a grand story behind choosing Frankie Avalon's Venus for several episodes. A writer producer who wrote the script injected it into the plot.
This seemingly harmless pop song makes two significant appearances over two episodes. Arthur, played flawlessly and with serious conviction by John Lithgow, is a serial killer out to revenge his sister's death. John is so convincing as Arthur that he said that after watching a few episodes of the show with his wife, she repeatedly turned to him and said "Do I know you?". Arthur kidnaps and harbors a young boy who he perceives to be himself at that age. He was innocent then. He hadn't witnessed his sister's murder. Her favorite song was Venus. Arthur plays it on the phonograph in the basement where he keeps the boy. The 45 drops from the magnetic holder and starts to rotate. The arm moves slowly over the record to plop the needle on vinyl and we hear "Hey Venus" with the angelic background vocals ooo ooo ooo's. It's innocence. It's innocence shattered.
The song returns on the season finale. At risk of giving away anything for those who haven't seen this season (you MUST rent or buy it), the placement of the song is chilling, creepy, haunting and it will drill a hole in your brain. Venus will follow you for days, as will the events leading up to the final scene. It's a brilliant choice.
Another recent music placement that was spot on was The End Of The World by Skeeter Davis used during the closing credits on Mad Men. In the case of that show, the songs have to be timeline correct. It's a period show, set in the 60's. You have a finite list of songs to play with. This song summed up the episode and foreshadows future episodes.
I'm sure people think being a music supervisor is easy. Pick a scene from a favorite show and think about what music you would use to drive the story and convey the actions taking place. Sometimes it's knowing that there shouldn't be music. There are many an ill-placed song. This not the case with Gary Calamar's selections, which is why he is one of the best. He's worked in record stores and as a radio host. His depth and knowledge of music is far reaching. Although he didn't pick Venus, his choices are subtle (I'm partial, but his use of Brandi Shearer's Lullabies in the season premier of Dexter Season 3 was perfect) and well thought out. There was a show on ABC that was unwatchable because of the overuse and abundance of ill-informed music choice. Men In Trees was a sonic mess.
Gary's TV Show credits include Six Feet Under (Breathe Me by Sia in the series finale) , Weeds, House, True Blood, and most recently Men Of A Certain Age. The theme song for Men is the Beach Boys' When I Grow Up To Be A Man. Again, on the surface the production and the background vocals proclaiming the aging of a man 22, 23, 24, etc. make it seem like a harmless pop song. A typical Brian Wilson song is never what you think you hear on the surface. The lines "Will I love my wife/The rest of my life" convey the anxiety about growing up, which essentially is the theme of this show. Ray Romano's character is living the song. As an aside, the show's website proclaims "Every memory has a soundtrack" and you can create your own digital scrapbook to share with others. The choices you are given to create that musical scrapbook: Styx, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Whitesnake.
I didn't even realize Joan had roses on everything she wore when it related to her marriage or the crumbling of it. If Peggy is wearing yellow, it will be a good work day for her. Red is the power color for the females and the not so powerful for the men.
