Mad Men is back with its fifth season and I am excited for its return. There are so many writers busy
recapping episodes that I won’t do that here. However I will ruminate on themes of the show that I perceive. Yesterday, I walked into a vintage clothing store in Red Hook and browsed a bit When I left, I laughed at the store’s sign that said “spring picnic realness”. I immediately thought of the documentary, “Paris Is Burning” and the ball categories like “executive realness”.
This led me to think how Don Draper is more than a character; he is a caricature of what many think of 1960’s advertising executive looked, drank, smoked, and screwed. In fact, maybe Don Draper is the drag persona Dick Whitman.
It may seem like a stretch, but Jon Hamm’s acting as Don could be like a straight man in hyper masculine drag.
Sent from my Android,
Nichelle Stephens
While Shonda Rhimes, creator of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” gets most of the attention as being one of the few African American women working behind the scenes on network TV today, she is not the only one.
Nichelle Tramble is an author (The Dying Ground, The Last King) as well as writer for a new hospital drama on NBC, Mercy. I am big fan of this show personally and I recommend checking the latest episode on Hulu.
Mara Brock Akil, the creative force behind “Girlfriends” and “The Game” is now working on ABC’s “Cougar Town”.
Angela Nissel is the bestselling author of The Broke Diaries and her memoir Mixed. She also was co-producer and writer on “Scrubs” and consulting producer on “Til Death”.
Update: My friend told me about Millicent Shelton who directed episodes “Everybody Hates Chris”, “Cougartown and “Parks and Recreation”.
It's Nichelle With An "N"