Mad Men

Over on Twitter this morning, one of the main topics of TV-focused conversation is the dearth of well-crafted and three-dimensional teenage characters on television. The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan raised an interesting question about why teen characters are often so unlikable, to which I replied that television writers are often too quick to paint them as brash and unpredictable rather than develop them as full-blown characters with strengths and weaknesses. The initial conversation stemmed from a dislike on the part of many of V's Tyler Evans (Logan Huffman), who seems in the series purely to advance a subplot and not because his character's participation in the overall story (yet anyway) has made an indelible mark. It's especially noticeable given the strength of the series' female characters, particularly those played by Elizabeth Mitchell and Morena Baccarin. But the real question is: why are teens given short shrift when it comes to characterization? »
- Jace

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Some 400 composers and lyricists working in television and films have begun the process of joining the Teamsters Union in hopes of gaining better pay and benefits for their work, the Los Angeles Times reported today (Wednesday). In an interview with the newspaper, David Carbonara, who writes the music for AMC's Mad Men, noted that a composer usually is paid $7,000 to $13,000 per episode, but must also bear many costs. Carbonara turns out music for 13 episodes a week, but, he said, "You have to work 26 shows a year to earn a living. ... People don't understand what we go through." The Times pointed out that composers are among the few crafts people not covered by a union contract in Hollywood. However, following the disintegration of the Composers and Lyricists Guild of America after a disastrous strike in 1971, they have been forced to work as "independent contractors." Steve Dayan, business agent for Teamsters Local »

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As previously announced, theCW would be premiering the new series, Life UneXpected, on January 18th.  The network has now created a nearly 5 minute featurette that's primarily a sneak peek and contains scenes from the pilot episode, as well as introducing you to all of the characters.
As mentioned, I've watched the pilot episode and liked it, but Shiri Appleby doesn't look like she could be the mother of a 15 year old.  She looks like she's perpetually 25 years old, which she is most definitely going to appreciate when she grows older.  The newer cast photo below shows her with a shorter cut that makes her look older, so let's see whether the rest of you are convinced that she could be this young girl's mother.

After spending all of her 15 years bouncing from one foster family to another in Portland, Oregon, Lux (Britt Robertson, “Swingtown”) has decided it’s time to »
- Clarissa

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