Jezebel 
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New York, 12:24 AM
Sun Nov 8
20 posts in the last 24 hours
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10/13/09
Dear Alanis,
This is what irony means.
10/13/09
I'm guessing you ladies did not get the report that small boobs don't sell magazines.
10/13/09
We don't read, you see.
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10/13/09
It's right up there with "Look perfect all the time, but you have to roll out of bed that way, and don't spend too much money or time on it while you're at it" and "Eat steak and drink beer with us, because we don't want to hear about your dieting or need to go to the gym, but don't gain an ounce".
Effortless 'perfection'.
10/13/09
"And—I think I can say this with impunity at this point—[before Mad Men] she was not taken seriously as an actress. It took people a while to get used to the fact that what she’s doing is acting in a very sophisticated way, that she completely embodies this person. If you saw that audition, you’d be like, ‘Oh my God, that’s the show.’ She was that person, Betty Draper. She was restrained. She was a bit child-like—the childishness of Betty Draper, that’s from her. I didn’t write that. She was judgmental. She was catty. She was kind of full of herself, stuck in high school. At the same time she had this passion. She’s not a cliché—the frigid wife. She married that man for a reason, because he’s fucking handsome. She signed on with a guy she doesn’t know at all because it’s amazing to fuck him. And then she’s ashamed about it, because she knew the sex was what it was all about, you know? January brought all that in with her. Or she brought in like 40 percent of it, and I projected the rest on her"—he laughed—"which I’m very guilty of."
10/13/09
When you've got such a deadpan acting style, its kind of easy to be pigeon holed, but I don't necessarily think its a negative reflection on her. She probably does need to be in a certain kind of role, but is that a bad thing?
She reminds me a bit of say...David Duchovny. Look at The X-Files, then look at a lot of the crap movies he did beforehand. There are A LOT of awkward, unemotive, cold scenes...but what he was able to bring to Mulder was a kind of detached moodiness that he seems to have a knack for. Its why he can pull off the more serious bits of Californication as well physical comedy. (And I think working on TXF for so long and really learning a lot about a frustrating character probably helped him as an actor)
January has a few crap movies to her name, and she doesn't really stand out. She's funny, but she also kind of blends in. So put her in a role like Betty Draper where the deadpan quietness suits the character and it works. It doesn't mean she can only play a housewife, but it does suggest that she needs a role with a bit more meat/background to suit her style, and her style can evolve as she moves on....
And like Duchovny with The X-Files, you can see how she's improved as she's gone along, and as the character evolved. (Though you can argue Mulder never really evolved other than maybe laying off the porn...; Betty at the very least has gained a lot of self awareness, and I think that shines through in her performance.)
10/13/09
10/13/09
oh wait.
Shut up, Mr. Demi Moore.
I think January does an excellent job on Mad Men. Betty is at times an infuriating character, and in the same episode I fall back in love -- all the more proof she kicks ass at her job.
10/13/09
@ElleL: But-- but-- Ashton Kutcher can do THIS!
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I HATE the lingerie shots - they are actually ugly to me for the very reason you bring up.
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No worse than Jeremy Piven, food critic.
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