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Election Day is coming... Do you know where your teenager is?

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Mad Men Is Still Maddeningly Good!

***SPOILER ALERT*** If you watch "Mad Men" on AMC and haven't seen this week's episode, come back after you've watched it!

I have shared in the past about "Mad Men", and the fact that it is one of the best shows on television. I am already lamenting the fact that Season 2, which started back in July, is about two-thirds over. The fascinating thing about this show, set in 1962, is that it uses the past to show us a picture of ourselves today.

One of the themes of this week's episode, for example, dealt with Joan, the sexy office secretary who showed intelligence and insight while reviewing TV scripts for a junior executive, only to find her new and exciting work shuffled off to a new, less worthy, MALE employee. Back to the steno pool, dear - and don't let the door hit your bodaciously blessed derriere on the way out, sweetie! Interestingly enough, this portrait of unrestrained sexism comes just as the Republicans and Democrats point fingers at each other over which party is being more sexist in a more veiled way vis a vis Clinton and Palin. We may find the way women are treated on "Mad Men" to be appalling, but we are reminded that the issue has never gone away.

My favorite part of this week's episode, however, dealt with the marital woes of our attractive suburban couple, Don and Betty. Betty has rightly accused Don of having an affair, and even though his hand is still in the proverbial cookie jar, Don can't bring himself to fess up to this unthinkable sin. In fact, by the end of the episode, Don has gone from sleeping on the sofa to being banned from the house altogether - an unthinkable scandal in 1962!


I remember when my parents spilt over similar "cookie jar" issues in the 60's, and how traumatic it was to be around my school mates. Divorce was almost unthinkable back then, and in fact, my sisters and I were the ONLY kids in the neighborhood whose parents had ever broken up. It was like having a scarlet "A" spray-painted on our house! To see all of this being played out now on television in the same general time frame is fascinating, and I can't wait to find out how this will be played on the show. My bet is that Don and Betty will not break up - there's simply too much at stake both at work and in the neighborhood for them to stay apart!

The next time you find yourself mocking your parents for what you might see as their backwards, or perhaps, outdated values system, just remember that their generation had to figure out how to deal with issues like infidelity and sexism and out-of-wedlock pregnancy and homosexuality (two other big "Mad Men" themes) without Dr. Phil or Oprah to talk them through it. We were a much more closeted nation in 1962. And it's quite educational to be shown how people dealt (or did not deal) with their sins, as Fred Grandy would say, "back in the day".

I'm Probably Lucky To Be Alive

For more than 13 years of my life, I lived literally around the corner from Leisure World, a retirement community for "active" seniors - some of them no doubt a bit TOO active for their own good. With none of my usual sarcasm or wit, I present you with this news item from today's Washington Post:

A man and a woman, both 92, were fatally injured Saturday night in Montgomery County when the car in which they were riding crashed near the Leisure World retirement development, authorities said.

The woman was identified as Eunice Wolman, the wife of David Wolman, 96, who was driving the car that crashed about 7 p.m. on Norbeck Road near Georgia Avenue in the Silver Spring area. David Wolman suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.

The man who died was identified as Max Rubin. His wife, Libby, also 92, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

All four occupants of the car lived at Leisure World, and one neighbor said she thought that they were returning home after dining out.

Police said David Wolman's Buick was going east on Norbeck when it drifted onto a shoulder. The driver overcorrected, and the car crossed into the opposite lane and then left the road. It struck a stop sign and a tree, fatally injuring both backseat passengers, police said.

A neighbor of the Wolmans described them last night as "a very, very loving couple." "They went everywhere together, did everything together," Rena Shochet said.

Although well into his 90s, she said, David Wolman appeared to be a careful, capable driver. "He was sharp," Shochet said.

Call me ageist if you want, but would ANY OF YOU be comfortable knowing you could be sharing a two-lane road with a 96-year-old driver? God bless him for living that long, but this poor man just killed his wife, and he could have killed someone else, too!

I don't care if our seniors vote... The people they elect need to pass a law putting an age limit on driving!

An Instant SNL Classic!

If you missed the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, you missed an opening skit that will no doubt go down as a classic among more than 30 years of political SNL sketches... Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton. After watching this, I almost felt bad for Hillary. Almost.

Since NBC usually makes youtube take down its SNL clips, I have used the version from hulu.com (which NBC co-owns). It may include a 15-second ad, but it's worth the wait! Enjoy!

A Brad Matthews Update!

This Just In... As reported earlier this week, my boy, Brad has been named to Sherwood High School's "A" team "It's Academic" squad. It was initially thought that Brad would be serving as an alternate - the fourth member of a 3-person TV team. However, we just learned that Brad will indeed be on the team that will appear on television later this fall. It's quite an honor, as Brad will be the only sophomore, playing with two seniors!

By the way - by actually making the TV squad, Brad surpasses NY Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, who only managed alternate status on her high school's It's Academic team... And Brad joins the ranks alongside our good friend, Bill Vanko, who was captain of the It's Academic team at Loch Raven High School back in 1976! (He's the beardless wonder in the middle below!)

Congratulations, son!

Back To Earth

Nobody ever said it was going to be easy. Well, actually, a LOT of Republicans said the election was over after Sarah Palin was picked to be John McCain's running mate. But at some point or other, Palin had to get off the campaign trail and say something in public that strayed from her well-crafted acceptance speech, which she had been repeating for over a week. And that point came on September 11th in Fairbanks.

Palin's performance in her first interview with Charlie Gibson should not be compared with the 9-11 disaster, although I'm sure some NY Times or Slate.com columnist will not be able to resist that allusion. This was not, however, Palin's finest moment. Gibson, rightly so, launched right into questions about foreign policy - the area that most people in America suspect would be Palin's weakest link. And she did prove to be pretty weak. Her answers concerning Israel and the Russian invasion of Georgia were clearly crafted by someone else and grafted onto Palin's brain. And she clearly had no idea what the Bush Doctrine was when Charlie asked her about it.

Red meat Republicans will be tempted to attack Charlie Gibson for his questions, or for the borderline-condescending manner in which he asked them. But they should stop right there. Charlie Gibson was hand-picked by the McCain camp, and can you really name anyone else of stature who would have treated Palin any more fairly? I will say I was not very comfortable with Gibson's grilling about God. Religion is a very personal thing, and what makes sense to one person vis a vis God may make no sense at all to someone else.

Palin supporters will give her a pass on much of the interview. Let's face it... the vast majority of Americans don't know anything about foreign policy - that's what we elect other people to worry about. And I, for one, had no idea what the Bush Doctrine was, either! I have never had any delusion that Sarah Palin knows squat about foreign policy, and I could frankly care less about her bona fides in that area. Most Governors who have ever run for President have the same weakness entering the White House, and they simply learn on the job.

However, Palin's struggles with Gibson DO mark an important point in the election. It will give Democrats (and the media - especially MSNBC) some traction for the first time since Palin was introduced to the public before the GOP Convention. And it should erase a good portion of the bump that McCain enjoyed after St. Paul.

In other words, it's game on!

P.S. - Watch this clip - and remember - we only tease because we love.

Don't Ya Love It When The SHAT Hits The Fan?

I have been a big fan of William Shatner's ever since he re-invented himself with the original Priceline.com radio ads back in the late 90's. There's nothing I admire more than a man with a massive ego and a nice toupee who can poke fun at himself. I came across a website today that had the best tongue-in-cheek Shatner moments of all time, and I heartily recommend that you check it out. My personal favorite is Shatner's tribute to George Lucas when he was given the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. Enjoy: