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  • The Frisky

And by the grace of the editors I've been allowed to do weekly posts on it. I'm so fucking stoked that I'm drooling.

Now beware, I'm a little bit of an obsessive fan boy with Mad Men. This quiet, intense, enthralling show has been gaining steam for the past three years through awards and word-of-mouth to become a television powerhouse. It's also inspired AMC to take on all sorts of weird television projects like Breaking Bad, The Prisoner, and the upcoming The Walking Dead. HBO is probably kicking itself for passing on it.

The media world is goofy over Mad Men too. The New York Times has probably mentioned it more times than Portland in the last year (which is a surprising feat considering they are on our jock pretty hard) and tie in products include Barbie dolls, suits from Banana Republic and books.

Speaking of books, Simon & Schuster has rereleased From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor, a 1970 expose by executive Jerry Della Femina. It examines the advertising business and the Madison Avenue scene that served as "one of the key texts for Mad Men," according to the cover. It's actually a very engaging and breezy read that will inevitably enhance your appreciation of the show. Also, in terms of misogyny and debauchery, it's a natural precursor of The Dirt, the oral history of Motley Crue, but with better clothes.

There are dozens of Mad Men links to examine, and I've done a thorough job avoiding spoilers so I have nothing by way of a preview to offer. But here's the Times preview, Jezebel calling Mad Men the new Sex and the City, and an interactive AMC toy, updated for season four, that allows you to design a cartoon, Mad Men version of yourself.

But I have to give you something right so here's a slight spoiler after the jump.

Peggy has a beehive! Gross!
  • Peggy has a beehive! Gross!