crowd

The End of Bi-Partisanship

by on May 14, 2012

I know, I know through, h |θroō|

preposition & adverb

1 moving in one side and out of the other side of (an opening, channel, or location) : [as prep. ] stepping boldly through the doorway | [as adv. ] as soon as we opened the gate, they came streaming through.

* so as to make a hole or opening in (a physical object) : [as prep. ] the truck smashed through a brick wall | [as adv. ] a cucumber, slit, but not all the way through.

* moving around or from one side to the other within (a crowd or group) : [as prep. ] making my way through the guests.

* so as to be perceived from the other side of (an intervening obstacle) : [as prep. ] the sun was streaming in through the window | [as adv. ] the glass in the front door where the moonlight streamed through.

* [ prep. ] expressing the position or location of something beyond or at the far end of (an opening or an obstacle) : the approach to the church is through a gate.

* expressing the extent of turning from one orientation to another : [as prep. ] each joint can move through an angle within fixed limits.

2 continuing in time toward completion of (a process or period) : [as prep. ] he showed up halfway through the second act | [as adv. ] to struggle through until payday.

* so as to complete (a particular stage or trial) successfully : [as prep. ] she had come through her sternest test | [as adv. ] I will struggle through alone rather than ask for help.

* from beginning to end of (an experience or activity, typically a tedious or stressful one) : [as prep. ] we sat through some very boring speeches | she’s been through a bad time | [as adv. ] Karl will see you through, Ingrid.

3 so as to inspect all or part of (a collection, inventory, or publication) : [as prep. ] flipping through the pages of a notebook | [as adv. ] she read the letter through carefully.

4 [ prep. ] up to and including (a particular point in an ordered sequence) : they will be in town from March 24 through May 7.

5 [ prep. ] by means of (a process or intermediate stage) : dioxins get into mothers’ milk through contaminated food.

* by means of (an intermediary or agent) : seeking justice through the proper channels.

6 [ adv. ] so as to be connected by telephone : he put a call through to the senator.

adjective

1 [ attrib. ] (of a means of public transportation or a ticket) continuing or valid to the final destination : a through train from Boston.

2 [ attrib. ] denoting traffic that passes from one side of a place to another in the course of a longer journey : neighborhoods from which through traffic would be excluded.

* denoting a road that is open at both ends, allowing traffic free passage from one end to the other : the shopping center is on a busy through road.

3 [ attrib. ] (of a room) running the whole length of a building.

4 [ predic. ] informal having no prospect of any future relationship, dealings, or success : she told him she was through with him | you and I are through.

PHRASES

through and through in every aspect; thoroughly or completely : Harriet was a political animal through and through.

ORIGIN old English thurh (preposition and adverb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch door and German durch. the spelling change to thr- appears c. 1300, becoming standard from Caxton onward.

– Posted by Keda46 on Thu, Apr 26, 2012, at 9:19 PM

The End of Bi-Partisanship

Sheriff Joe Arpaio supporters rally

by on May 10, 2012

PHOENIX – Hundreds of ralliers hit the pavement Saturday morning, walking in honor of Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Organizers say Arpaio is at the center of so much criticism that they want to show their support for him.

“One, 2, 3, 4, we support our Sheriff Joe. One, 2, 3, 4, we support our Sheriff Joe,” ralliers chanted, holding homemade signs defending Arpaio. “Our county is blessed. Joe Arpaio is best.”

A crowd of more than 200 people gathered in Fountain Hills, walking in his honor.

“This is the very first thank you to the sheriff that’s ever occurred,” said organizer Andi Bell.

Organizers said since there have been several rallies calling for Arpaio’s resignation, they wanted to hold a rally in support of him.

Folks like Brandy Baron, whose car even reflects her feelings.

“I believe he’s doing the job I’ve voted for him to do. I’ve always supported him, and I will support him as long as he keeps doing that job,” Baron said.

Arpaio is under investigation by the Department of Justice over accusations he violated the civil rights of Hispanics.

But those who stand by him said that’s not what Saturday was about.

“You know what – I’m not going to comment on them. This is a walk for Sheriff Joe, so I’m going to stay away from all those controversial subjects,” said Arpaio supporter Gary Lvov.

Supporters said they admire Arpaio, the programs he’s put in place and the job he’s doing protecting Arizona.

“I’m glad to be around people that appreciate a law-enforcing sheriff,” Bell said.

“We think he’s doing a fabulous job. It’s a job that has to be done, and he’s doing it,” said supporter Esther Zack.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio supporters rally

The Two Andy’s: Pray For The Wildcats And Savages (Both 1974)

by on May 7, 2012

Everyone my age remembers Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor on the old Mayberry TV show. A gunless sheriff beloved by all in a small southern town (which, interestingly enough, contained no black people) who solved all kinds of problems while trying to raise a young boy on his own. the whistling theme song has burned itself into a lot of brains. And there was the later, elder Griffth who stared as the lawyer Matlock in a TV show of the same name. but in the early 70′s Sheriff Andy starred in two made-for-TV horror movies that took him in a different direction: a psychopathic manipulator with power and money. In some ways, these roles were a return to the earlier one he’d played as the sinister as Lonesome Rhodes in A Face in the Crowd (1957).

Both movies were released in 1974. the first, Savages had Griffith playing a handicapped lawyer who hires a local kid as a hunting guide. the second, Pray for the Wildcats, had him dirt biking across Baja Calfornia with William Shatner, Marjoe Gortner, and Robert Reed. Both movies shocked a lot of people when they first hit the little screen. Imagine a family turning on the movie of the week expecting more down home country witticisms and instead seeing a leering lunatic.

Savages was based-off the 1973 novel Death Watch by Rob White. In the movie Andy Griffth plays lawyer Horton Maddock who is desperate to get into the desert to hunt bighorn sheep. the young guide he hires, Ben Campbell, is played by Sam Bottoms. Although Maddock has a little bit of trouble getting around, he is quick to inform Ben that he’s made a fortune by using his mind. He’s always smartly dressed in khaki bush clothes and sports a painted grin whenever addressing someone. Several days into the hunt, Maddock accidentally shoots an old prospector who just happens to be Ben’s friend. Maddock wants them to bury the body and pretend it never happened. He’s afraid if word got out it would jeopardize his legal career. Ben refuses and makes plans to take the body back to town, even turning down a cash bribe. but suddenly Maddock conceives a plan to blame the death on Ben and sends his young guide out into the desert alone with barely any clothes to die of dehydration. It then becomes a game of the hunter and the hunted as Ben uses his survival skills against Maddock.

Savages is actually a good adaptation of the Rob White book. Although the dead prospector is introduced in the movie as Ben’s friend and mentor, while in the book he’s just a random old man who happened to get in the way of Maddock’s target. the description of Ben’s survival methods are far more explicit in the book, but this is a minor point. There is only so much you can do with a 74 minute film.

Pray for the Wildcats also had Andy Griffith in a sinister role. It’s famous for having a bunch of TV actors in parts for which they were not usually found. Sam Farragut (Andy Griffith), William Summerfield (William Shatner), Paul Mcllvian (Robert Reed), and Terry Maxon (Marjoe Gortner) are four buddies who spend the weekends motorcycling around the back country on their dirt bikes. William, Paul, and Terry all work at the same advertising agency and they are trying to get Sam, a manufacturer, to sign on with them. William is having an affair with Paul’s wife (Angie Dickinson) and is being pushed out the door from his executive position. Terry is a rising star who’s just learned his girlfriend is pregnant. And Sam won’t close the deal with the agency until the other three agree to take a cross-country motorcycle ride through Baja California. They all agree to spend a week on the road, first getting photographed in their monogrammed Wildcat leather jackets.

But the trip turns bad when Sam, the self-anointed leader of the group, takes too much fancy to a hippy chick at a Cantina. William manages to pull him out of a fight, but Sam has decided he’s going to have that girl one way or another. And Terry is willing to do just about anything to get Sam’s favor. Paul? He just wants to go home and back to ignoring his wife.

Both movies were a major shift in how the viewing public saw Andy Griffith. While he plays a cold and methodical killer in Savages, he’s the drooling potential rapist in Wildcats. He’s great in both roles. There’s just enough down-home country boy in each character to make you think of The Killer inside Me. Both old horror movies are highly recommended, although they are hard to find these days.

The Two Andy’s: Pray For The Wildcats And Savages (Both 1974)

Company Christmas Party Ideas to Make the Most Out of Your Party

by on May 3, 2012

What’s the best thing about parties? the answer: food, friends, and games. nothing could even liven up a party than hosting fun and exciting games that your guests can play. Games also encourage everyone to socialize with each other, especially during company parties. Often times, people see their co-workers as strict and boring people because they are used to seeing each other work. Here are some company Christmas party ideas that will allow everyone to mingle and have fun, regardless of their position in the company, whether they are boss or employee.

Guess the Logo game – go through old magazines and cut out photos of advertisements. Make sure that you include the logo. Cut a part of the logo and paste it on a white paper. for example, you can cut half the logo of Pepsi and put it in the paper. During the party, divide the crowd into two or three groups. show the cut-out parts of the logos one by one, and the group that can guess the logo correctly gets a point. Have at least 15 logos ready. In the end, the group with the most points wins a prize. if you don’t have enough budgets for prizes, you can ask the losing group to perform a dance number in front of everyone.

Guess the Song game – Divide the crowd into two to three groups. Prepare a playlist that you can play during the game. Make sure that the playlist has songs from different genres, unless you have a theme for your party (for example, a 70′s party should have songs from the 70′s). to play the game, play one of the songs for 10-30 seconds and the first group to name the title of the song wins a point. you can even add a bonus point to whoever can name the artist that sung the song. to add more excitement to the game, you can ask a participant before the party to sing the songs for you. Give him/her the list of songs so that the singer can hear and practice a few lines before the party starts.

Guess the Employee game – this will surely bring out the fun in your party to play this game effectively, you must have two or three people to help you. they should be people who have been in the company for a long time and/or people who are friendly and knows a lot about other employees. the mechanics of the game is simple: think of trivias about your co-workers, and make the game participants guess who they are. you can divide the participants into several groups. example questions are, I make a trip to the coffee maker every 2 hours. who am I? or I don’t tell a lot of people about this but I watch cartoons with my daughter and I enjoy it. who am I? or I made a trip to Alaska last year and forgot to buy souvenirs for everyone. who am I? Make sure that your questions and trivias are not offensive.

Company Christmas Party Ideas to Make the Most Out of Your Party

Tim Tebow And Dwyane Wade Were Booed At The Yankee Game (Video)

by on April 20, 2012

MLB NBA Video

According to the LA Times, both Tim Tebow and Dwyane Wade were booed when they attended yesterday’s Yankees/Angels game in the Bronx. from the YouTube video below, we only hear evidence (courtesy of ESPN’s announcers) of Wade being booed. We’re also privy to an extended silent moment between the two, as Wade checks his smartphone and Tebow distracts himself with a Yankee program.

Who’s poised to shine at Coachella 2012?

by on April 13, 2012

Ordinarily we’d care about whatever incoherent nonsense Axl Rose dashed off to refuse his pending induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and we’re definitely keen to know more about the trilogy of albums Green Day will start issuing come September (titled, naturally, ¡Uno!,¡Dos! and ¡Tre!).

That’s all well and good, but not right now. It’s crunch time.

We are less than 48 hours away from the start of the biggest Coachella since the festival expanded to three days in 2007. This year, of course, it has expanded to a double-header on the still-verdant Empire Polo Field in Indio without making any adjustments to the lineup from weekend (April 13-15) to weekend (April 20-22).

Yet both jaded scenesters and overamped first-timers know that more than the weather will change in the process. Just as the majority of the crowd will be different at each bash, so, too, should many of the sets be overhauled seven days later.

Granted, newcomers like Childish Gambino, Gotye, the Weeknd and tUnE-yArDs don’t exactly have enough material to switch things up much, nor are the reunions of Pulp, Refused and Mazzy Star apt to produce wildly differing performances. Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg’s rabidly anticipated debut in the desert also may not be altered week to week, especially if they get as locked into certain special guests (i.e. Eminem) as they reportedly are.

Yet artists like Andrew Bird, Arctic Monkeys, Feist, Destroyer, St. Vincent and M. Ward certainly have enough material to mix it up, while the event’s two other headliners, Radiohead and the Black Keys, would be flat-out foolish not to revise their plans once the first go-round is over.

Who will the standouts be? whose performances are the biggest head-scratching question marks? Consider our picks in the slideshow above, arranged in the order in which these mainstays and upstarts will appear?

Fair Grounds expects big crowd for Louisiana Derby from Kentucky, Louisville fans in town for Final 4

by on April 9, 2012

The starting gate for the Louisiana Derby on Sunday will be crowded, and, with a boost from Final Four fans, so will the fair Grounds grandstand. The entry of Risen Star runner-up mark Valeski and Lecomte winner Mr. Bowling is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a full field of 14 3-year-olds entered Monday for the $1 million, Grade II Louisiana Derby.

Mark Valeski, right, came up just short in the Risen Star Stakes at the fair Grounds last month.

Mark Valeski, who finished a nose behind El Padrino in the Risen Star, is the reason that fair Grounds line-maker Mike Diliberto rated the entry, trained by Larry Jones for owner Brereton Jones, as the early favorite. Mr. Bowling finished last in the Risen Star.

“It was all mark Valeski,” Diliberto said.

The mile-and-an-eighth Louisiana Derby, for which post time will be 4:55 p.m. Sunday, will be the 10th race on a 14-race card beginning at 12:10 p.m.

The largest field in a Louisiana Derby was 17 horses in 1954. In 1976, 15 horses ran, and 14 ran in 1950. The current starting gate has 14 stalls.

The Louisiana Derby last year drew about 8,000 people to the fair Grounds, said Eric Halstrom, track vice president/general manager for racing. this year, with the crowd expected to be enhanced by Kentucky and Louisville fans in town for the Final Four, track officials are expecting from 10,000 to 12,000 people at the track Sunday, Halstrom said.

“we had a pipe dream of either Louisville or Kentucky making it to the Final Four,” he said. “no disrespect to (other) schools, but we’re glad Georgia or Utah or Hawaii didn’t make it.

“We’re looking at every option for making it comfortable for people here.”

The fair Grounds has ordered extra concessions, hired mutuel clerks from Evangeline Downs to help with the betting crush and will increase the number of betting machines by bringing some from off-track betting parlors, Halstrom said.

“We’re at a red-alert emergency status for making sure we have enough staff, enough food, enough drinks,” he said.

To help ease parking issues, employees will be parking off the grounds and shuttled to the track, Halstrom said.

Also, he said, the fair Grounds is working on setting up a shuttle from a downtown location for fans.

Horsemen, many of whom, such as Larry Jones, are from the state of Kentucky, will have their allegiances in the Kentucky-Louisville Final Four semifinal.

“I’m really Kentucky, but there’s no way to lose this one,” Larry Jones said. “It’s like mark Valeski and Mr. Bowling. you hope one of them wins this race.”

Mark Valeski, who will be ridden by fair Grounds-leading jockey Rosie Napravnik, will break from the no. 8 post position, one stall to the outside of entry-mate Mr. Bowling.

“It’s good,” Larry Jones said of the draw. “We’ll be able to get out there and watch people and make a move when we’re ready to go.”

Cigar Street, who won a two-turn maiden race at the fair Grounds by 13 3/4 lengths in his second start, is the 7-2 second choice in the line. “He’s trained really good, had a nice five-eighths work yesterday,” trainer Steve Margolis said. “It’s all he needs. he galloped out really strong.”

Rousing Sermon, who’ll be shipping from California for trainer Jerry Holldendorfer, is the 6-1 third choice in the line. he finished second in the Grade I Cash Call Futurity at Hollywood Park last year.

The field has three shippers from Florida — Windsurfer, Finnegans Wake and Arm Force. The rest of the horses are based at the fair Grounds.

“a lot of young horses trying to take that next step to the Kentucky Derby,” Diliberto said of the field.

This morning, mark Valeski is scheduled to run his final workout in preparation for the race.

On Monday morning, Mr. Bowling and Believe you Can, who will be running in the fair Grounds Oaks on Saturday, worked five furlongs together in 1:00 2-5.

Here are other fair Grounds workouts Monday by horses preparing for graded stakes this weekend: Fast Alex (New Orleans Handicap), five furlongs in 1:02 for trainer Greg Geier; Suntracer (Mervin Muniz Memorial Handicap), five furlongs in 1:01 3-5 for trainer Neil Pessin; Wilkinson (Mervin Muniz), five furlongs in 1:01 for trainer Neil Howard; and Mister Marti Gras (New Orleans Handicap), five furlongs in 1:01 for Pessin.

At Palm Meadows training center in Florida, Mission Impazible, preparing for a run at a repeat victory in the New Orleans Handicap, worked a half-mile in 48 1-5 seconds for trainer Todd Pletcher.

•••••••

Bob Fortus can be reached at rfortus@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3408.

Lakers beat Clippers 113-108

by on April 5, 2012

Kobe Bryant willed the Los Angeles Lakers to a crucial victory over the Clippers, who won style points with some flashy plays but couldn’t overcome a well-rested Andrew Bynum.

Bynum scored 36 points after missing a game with a sprained left ankle, Bryant added 31 and the Lakers won 113-108 on Wednesday night to widen their Pacific Division lead to 2 1/2 games over the second-place Clippers. the Lakers also snapped the Clippers’ winning streak at six, the franchise’s best in 20 years.

“Kobe didn’t want to lose,” Bynum said. “We are fighting for a playoff spot. they are one game behind us, so we had to get this win.”

“They’re going to make spectacular plays, but we talked about playing poised and composed,” Bryant said. “They have so many weapons. but it’s not any different than some of the other top teams that we face in the league. the crowd obviously gave them a lot of energy and their bench gave them a lot of energy, but we maintained our composure and made big plays.”

Former Laker Caron Butler scored 28 points to lead six Clippers in double figures. Chris Paul added 22 points and 16 assists, Blake Griffin had 15 points and 14 rebounds, and DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 13 rebounds for the West’s fourth-place team, the designated home team in this matchup.

“Ain’t no moral victories around here,” Paul said. “They won the game and that’s that.”

Ramon Sessions added 16 points and eight assists for the Lakers, who won their fourth in a row.

“We miscommunicated a lot of times, worried about Kobe a little too much and we were giving up layups to Sessions,” Paul said.

Bynum bounced back with an offensive performance that was one point off his season high after injuring his ankle Sunday and running afoul of the front office with some questionable on-court behavior.

“It hurts a little bit, especially on spin moves,” Bynum said. “I found more little things out there that hurt so I tried to stay away from them. as the game progresses, the pain subsides.”

With the Lakers clinging to a two-point lead, Bryant hit a jumper over Randy Foye to make it 110-106 with 24 seconds left. Paul missed a jumper and Griffin was called for a loose ball foul on Pau Gasol, who made one of two free throws with 18 seconds left.

“Both teams really wanted it,” former Clipper and current Laker Steve Blake said. “It was physical and both teams were changing their game plans on the fly and it was fun to be out there.”

Griffin’s tip drew the Clippers within three, but Nick Young fouled Matt Barnes, who made both free throws. Paul’s turnover and foul gave the Lakers the ball with 4 seconds to go, ending the Clippers’ chances to win the season series for the first in 19 years.

“Our defense wasn’t as good as we’d like it to be and that was part of the problem,” Paul said. “We sort of gave up everything. they had 63 in the first half. Kobe was shooting a lot early. he had it going and so did Bynum.”

The Clippers trailed by 11 to start the fourth and scored the first eight points to get to 92-89. Young had nine of their first 12 points. Eric Bledsoe hit a 3-pointer to get the Clippers to 98-96. the final 7 minutes were a four-point game.

Paul’s jumper tied it at 102 and the Clippers took their first lead, 104-103, since early in the game on Jordan’s hook.

Bryant scored over Butler and then Metta World Peace stole the ball from Paul. Bynum got fouled and made one of two free throws to put the Lakers back in front, 106-104. after consecutive turnovers by both teams, Sessions scored on a driving layup with 47 seconds left to keep the Lakers ahead by four.

“We had a couple key turnovers and they made the bigger plays at the end of the game,” said Paul, who had two of the Clippers’ four turnovers in the final 2:45. “We got to learn how to win these games and close these out. it was a good learning process for us because this is how the playoffs are.”

The Lakers led 73-61 early in the third quarter. the Clippers rallied on a 12-5 run that cut their deficit to five points. Griffin soared to dunk one-handed over Gasol, who argued that Griffin had fouled him with the monster move that sent Gasol staggering toward the floor. but Griffin drew the foul and missed the free throw.

“I really didn’t see the ball when it went in. I was on my (rear),” Gasol said. “It happened too quick. I don’t have a great desire to watch it (again).”

Griffin hoped it would give the Clippers some much-needed momentum.

“It was exciting,” Paul said, “but at the end of the day we lost. who cares?”

Jordan dunked to reinvigorate the crowd and Butler scored the final five points in the spurt.

But the Lakers answered with a 14-8 run to end the third up 92-78. Bynum had seven points and Bryant six.

“It looked like his ankle wasn’t giving him any problems,” Griffin said.

Jordan made a great play after trying to save the ball from going out of bounds with a leap over the courtside seats. his save got intercepted by the Lakers, but he climbed back over the seats and took off running. he dashed up behind Sessions and poked the ball away, leading to a 3-pointer by Butler to end the third.

NOTES: the Clippers’ seven-game home winning streak ended. … there were 11 technicals in the teams’ first two meetings, but there was just one individual technical against Sessions. … Foye came in averaging 21.6 points and 3.3 assists in the Clippers’ last three games, but he finished with 11 points and four assists. … the Lakers improved to 12-15 on the road. … the Clippers fell to 19-13 against teams with .500 or better records.

Lakers beat Clippers 113-108

Palm Sunday Around the Globe

by on April 1, 2012

Palm Sunday is Christian observance which is celebrated around the world, though many Christian denominations. in 1970 the Roman Catholic Church changed the formal name of Palm Sunday to Passion Sunday, from the Second Sunday of the Passion. however it was very confusing because the Second Passion Sunday was assigned to the 5th Sunday in Lent. so they again changed ti to Palm Sunday of our Lord’s Passion.

Now know as Palm Sunday, Roman Catholic Churches as well their Protestant brethren , have the palms being bless in a few different ways. first is the congregation gather outside the church with their unblessed palm in hand. The priest starts the service with the palms being sprinkled with holy water most often using an aspergillum, which most Catholics will recognize as the vessel used while holy water is dispersed on a crowd. The Priest walks though the crowd as the congregation holds up their palms so that they may be bless. After the opening part of the service is completed the congregation processes inside usually in song, by way of reenacting Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem, where the Jews sang the Psalm 118 and threw palms on the ground making Jesus’ path more comfortable. in the Lutheran church, the service is very close to the Catholic Service minus the holy water.

The entry procession may vary for each religion. The procession may consist of the Priest or Minister. The choir may also be part of the procession. The children of the parish are often in the procession as well and there may also be the entire congregation gathered outside as well. in India the procession is a little different there they cover the sanctuary with marigolds and the congregation processes though the church.

At the end, all the left over palms are saved and burned the following year as part of the the Ash Wednesday service. The Roman Catholics do consider the palms to be sacramentals or object that are set apart and blessed within the church. they are treated with same reverence any blessed item would be treated with. Other uniform items thought the church are the blood red vestments and dcor thought the church. The Red is symbolic of blood and a reminder of the sacrifice that Jesus made to redeem the world.

In the Eastern Orthodox church Palm Sunday, or as they call it the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, and they consider it among their list of the 12 great feasts of the liturgical year. And of course, it is also the start of Holy Week in all Christian faiths. Unlike the other Christian sects, Palm Sunday is not part of Lent. in the eastern orthodox Tradition Lent ends on Friday, then there is Lazarus Saturday, the remembrance of Lazarus rising from the dead. On the Saturday before, the congregation spends their time making the palms into crosses. however in the Mexican culture palms are also used to make crosses and statues. they are at times used in the actual opening procession.

Other customs that differ are Russian Orthodox who use pussy willows because of the they were hard to find that far north. some Orthodox churches will also use olive branches.

Although there are many different customs out there, the center point of it all is the same. this day commemorate the day Jesus arrived in Jerusalem and it begins the week that lead to his passion, death and Resurrection.

Palm Sunday Around the Globe

Mad Men Boss Matthew Weiner Talks Season 5 Delay, Possible Don/Betty Reunion – TVLine

by on March 25, 2012

Who’s to blame for mad Men‘s much-delayed fifth season? not series creator Matthew Weiner, according to, well, series creator Matthew Weiner.

“The scheduling of the show – not being on this year – that’s part of the network plan,” Weiner told a packed crowd at Wednesday’s LA Times: the Envelope Emmy panel in Los Angeles. “Breaking Bad was always going on in the summer. … That’s the way they do things.”

After protracted contract talks between AMC, production studio Lionsgate and Weiner, AMC announced that the series — which has premiered during the summer for the past four seasons — would not return until early 2012 “due to ongoing, key non-cast negotiations.” Weiner, however, insisted “that I have done everything in my power to get the show on this year.”

He described the contract negotiations as “bad, but it worked out… It was public, and there was no reason for that. But that’s what happens. the most important things for me are that after it’s over, I get to go back to work and that we get to do three more years of the show.”

As for what next season holds for Don Draper and the rest of his family and coworkers, Weiner was tight-lipped as usual. “We just started working [in the writers room] about three weeks ago,” he stated. “We have a bunch of ideas on the board that I was super excited about 48 hours ago and today we sat around talking about how crappy it is. so we’re right on schedule.”

Might a reunion for newly engaged Don and ex-wife Betty, who shared an unusually friendly moment in last season’s finale, be in the cards? “I don’t know what it is for them in the future,” he replied. “They had a rough year. Don was not good on his own. That’s part of why he proposed to Megan.” Star Jon Hamm added that Don and Betty are “inextricably linked” by family and history, adding,“They will never not be part of one another’s lives.”

Which, if any, historical events will shape the new season also remains a mystery. “The show is not a history lesson,” emphasized Weiner. “The show will be about the next part of these people’s lives and what’s going on in the world will impact them the way things impact us.”

One thing is for certain – Hamm will direct the Season 5 premiere, as TVLine first reported. Weiner feels confident that his leading man is the right guy for the job.

“Jon is already involved very much in every aspect of the show,” he said. “He’s on set as much as the camera is. I’m glad that he asked to do it, and we’re thrilled to have him do it.”

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Mad Men Boss Matthew Weiner Talks Season 5 Delay, Possible Don/Betty Reunion – TVLine

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