This is quite the big deal. Deborah and Roberta Lipp, the oft-mentioned (by me) proprietors of the Mad Men blog Basket of Kisses have scooped the world with their interview with beleaguered showrunner Matthew Weiner.
Sharp focus has been trained on the negotiations between Weiner and AMC for his return to the fold for season five of the show. In the post at their blog (LINK), Weiner lets the fans of the show know, sans mass media filter, that his negotiations are not for personal aggrandizement but for the sake of show quality, he told them:
“There’s been a lot of speculation and misinformation in the press about what is going on. I want the fans to know directly from me that I had nothing to do with this delay and it is not about money. I am fighting for the cast and for the show. And I appreciate the kindness and concern of the fans.”
The rest of it is at Basket of Kisses for your review, please click over there and check out Weiner's explanation and some facts that you might not have gotten from your usual big media sources.
Deb and Roberta, this is a big frickin' deal for you two, I'm very happy.
As far as how I feel, I'll post here my comment at their blog:
Give the guy what he wants for the show and get him back to work. I know what is happening here. AMC doesn’t want to set a precedent with Weiner for fear of having to cave to Vince Gilligan or Frank Darabont, who are very much like Matt in that they want things for the show, not for themselves.
AMC wouldn’t have this “problem” if Mad Men had not been exactly the show that Weiner wants it to be, so they should shut up and relent on this.
And now back to Prince Harry diving into the frozen waters of the Arctic Circle. I hear his hair changes color when he does that. Royals, huh?
And finally, from Tim Goodman at THR (the Reporter ALSO picked up Deb and Roberta's post, at this link), he knows what needs to happen, and that's to give Matty Weiner what he wants:
...Whatever the price tag Weiner's asking for, whatever the changes he's being asked to make -- more commercial time or reduction of characters allegedly among them -- it's all beside the point now. AMC and Lionsgate balked two years ago at Weiner's salary demands and here we are again. Apparently there's been too much distance -- and too much success --- at AMC to remember where they were before making Mad Men.
They were nowhere.
AMC was a second rate movie channel (and that's being generous) until Mad Men put it on the map. No Mad Men, then probably no Breaking Bad (which itself was partly a free gift from FX). So any discussion of Mad Men's worth goes far, far beyond the value of the actual show as it relates to the money it brings in.
So there. Suck it, AMC! Then suck it up and get 'er done.
Oh shit, did I just quote Larry the Cable Guy? Shoot me!
Email the fools at AMC who don't realize we viewers DON'T want cast cuts and definitely don't want MORE commercials!!!
If Weiner wants to take a pay cut to save the integrity of the show, then do it!
Email them here to protest this silliness:
http://www.amctv.com/contact.html
Posted by: Julie | April 01, 2011 at 11:58 AM