EVENTS: MAD MEN returns on April 5; NYC celebrates

At last, the long-awaited final half-season of AMC TV's Mad Men will begin on April 5. The show has been a singular cultural phenomenon, in no small measure because of its meticulous recreation of the look of Sixties decor and fashion -- that furniture! those dresses! 

New York City, home of the "Mad" in the show's title (i.e., Madison Avenue) will pay homage to Mad Men's closing weeks in a variety of special events, to wit:

•  A jazzy exhibition titled “Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men” opens March 14 at the  Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria.

 This three-month exhibition vividly brings the show’s wardrobe -- and much of its creative process -- to life. More than 25 ensembles developed by Mad Men's costume designer, Janie Bryant, will appear alongside large-scale sets (including Don Draper’s office, and the kitchen from the Don & Betty's Ossining home), props, advertising artwork and other ephemera from the show’s design departments. 

The exhibition will feature screenings of 10 films creator Matthew Weiner considers 

essential for Mad Men fans, including The Apartment.

Link here to a NY Times article: 

The Most Memorable Costumes of Mad Men Get the Museum Treatment

                 Mad Men' s leading ladies, dressed to kill

                                                                                      Megan's "Zou Bisou Bisou" dress, season 5 premiere  

“To see a costume in full action on screen and then see it standing still,” says Bryant, 

“is a whole different kind of visual experience.”

•  Mad Men Dining Week: 

How to Eat and Drink Like Don Draper

From March 23-29, 33 of NYC's classiest restaurants participated in 

Mad Men Dining Week. Each offered either a two-course prix-fixe menu 

or two cocktails inspired by the 1960s, at a cost of $19.69 (the year Don Draper's 

"final act" -- whatever that means -- takes place.) Booze OR food -- your choice.

AMC President Charlie Collier commented, 

"The men and women of Madison Avenue inspired Matthew Weiner’s story, and we couldn’t imagine 

a better way to celebrate than by eating, drinking and raising a glass together in their honor.”

Don drinks his favorite cocktail -- ironically, an Old Fashioned.

The drink has made a big comeback since Mad Men's 2007 premiere.

Recipe:

3 oz bourbon

1 sugar cube

2-3 dashes Angostura bitters

2 orange slices (not if you're Don Draper)

Maraschino cherry garnish (definitely not if you're Don Draper)

Cheers, Don Draper and Co.!

Late-breaking Mad Men news

• The Brooklyn Academy of Music will host a two-day “Mad Men at the Movies” festival, April 22-23. Matthew Weiner or a cast member will attend each screening to discuss that film.

• Weiner spoke on March 29 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, and will do another talk on April 28 at the 92nd Street Y.

• The New York Public Library will host a “Mad Men” event after the finale in May, and will publish a “Mad Men” reading list, based on 25 titles mentioned during the show’s run.

• On March 21, Weiner, Jon Hamm and cast members Christina Hendricks, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones and John Slattery sat on a panel at Alice Tully Hall for the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Topics included favorite episodes, and the Film Society also sponsored a free two-day screening of some of Weiner’s own favorites.