Eschatology & Series Finales: Why Can’t We All Be Happy With Endings? Mad Men, Letterman, & The Following

By Benjamin Delloiacono

Even if you exist in the furthest outskirts of the pop-culture periphery, you will at very least be aware that recently we saw the long-awaited series finale of AMC’s Mad Men as well as the final episode of Late Night with David Letterman. If you have not heard of either of these events, well, thanks for reading! And Jesus Christ what kind of bullshit schedule do you have that has made you so completely oblivious to these milestones!? You must be a very, very busy vascular surgeon... or, like, a parent or something.

No doubt while you were reconstructing that femoral artery or just trying to keep up with the pounds of laundry produced by your sloven progeny you also missed last week’s series finale of The Following! So, what with all these finales, that patient bleeding out on your table, that never-ending monotony of washing, drying, and folding (fuck! All that folding!), and a general apocalyptic sense of ending in the air, why is it that you were so unaware that last week also saw the series finale of the Fox network’s Kevin Bacon serial-killer vs. FBI-agent horror/psychological thriller, The Following???

Doll Stuff: Flashdance Barbie, Gothiness, Mad Men & More

Doll Stuff...so named because I get a lot of shit for running news on new Barbies and the like, but fuck, half my readers are women and they LOVE IT..and so do some of the guys.. so...bite me. Now those that care can find the stories easier and I retain my manhood by dismissing it as "Stuff".

Anyyyway, we'll start with a quick update on the Mad Men Barbies dropping next month. Betty Draper, Joan Holloway and Don Draper should be hitting any day now, retailing for around 85 dollars. Roger Sterling is an Online Exclusive for the Barbie Fan Club...meaning you must join the Barbie Army to get him to show up on your doorstep.

Next we have the newest addition to the Ladies of the 80's Barbie line that kicked off with Joan Jett, Cyndi Lauper and Debbie Harry. The new member is Flashdance Barbie!! Odd pick, but it's funny enough that I want to show it off. Since this one retails for around 35 dollars, I'm going to assume you'll see her on the store shelves next to Victoria and Alice from Twilight: Eclipse. Flashdance Barbie would dance them into the ground.

Last up for Barbie is a doll that is already selling , but I thought I'd show it off to the non-rabid fans who find out about their dolls from a 30 something male geek on the internets. The 2009 Hard Rock Cafe Barbie is so Rockabilly she looks like she stepped out of the movie Cry Baby, if they remade Cry Baby today with all the tattooing going on. I fully expect at least 3 of my friends to freak out right now, so HERE'S A LINK to buy her on sale for 55 bucks. Since she is older, she may be even cheaper on other websites, so give a look.

On the Barbie site, you'll also find Barbie as Athena and The Dread Pirate Barbie (I put the dread in there, because that's funnier) so take a look if you want to get crazy. Mattel has also launched the Monster High line, which presents us with the frightning idea that the Universal Monsters would have fashion mongering children who strut around and embarrass their parents every second they exist. FEAR THEM!!

In other doll news, Gallery Marketing Group make higher end ball jointed dolls among the horded of scary babies they churn out. Dark Hunter, from the Sherrilyn Kenyon book series, is one diversion into ball jointed dolls with an edge we rarely see in the states. Sure, they look like they were beaten with several Hot Topic gift cards, but some people dig that. Acheron (the dude with the pretty hair) and Simi (the lady in the hooker boots) are available now for around 150 a piece. This same company also makes a Brides of Dracula doll line which includes The Contessa, Mina and Lucy. All really beautiful work, proving once again, you get what you pay for.



Rounding out the dollapalooza, I wanted to touch on some of the newer items from Tonner, makers of high end dolls predominantly from licensed properties. My thinking is you may not know some of these things exist, so prepare to have your mind BLOWN. Tonner's current lineup includes Torchwood, Dr. Who, Firefly, Jonah Hex, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, DC Stars, Price of Persia, Twilight and Lord of the Rings. They also made a name for themselves with an amazing line of Harry Potter dolls that destroy anything else ever put on the market. For the highest quality, this is your go-to crew!

*UPDATED with Pics! No Smokes or Drinks for "Mad Men" Barbies

Characters from hit US TV series Mad Men are to be the models for new versions of Barbie and Ken, the New York Times reported Wednesday. The dolls were to include the main character Don Draper and his wife Betty, played by Jon Hamm and January Jones. The drama is set in and around a 1960s New York ad agency. But Barbie manufacturers Mattel would make some concessions to their young customers: The dolls will be unaccompanied by the cigarettes, ash trays, Martini glasses and cocktail shakers with which the characters are normally surrounded. The dolls, which will have a production run of between 7,000 and 10,000 figures, will have a suggested retail price of 74.95 dollars. Mad Men has been praised for its intelligent portrayal of changing society in 1960s America. The series has already won numerous Emmys and three Golden globes for best TV drama. The fourth series is due to be broadcast this summer in the US.















From Entertainment Earth: Coming July 2010

Betty Draper doll also includes a compact, brush and lipstick.
Don Draper doll includes a jacket, hat and briefcase.
Joan Holloway doll includes a purse and accessories.