BevLog

Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker wrote a post to his TV blog about "Mad Men" season 5 premiere that aired on Sunday, March 25. He goes on in depth about Don Draper turning 40 and the "surprise" birthday party starring his new young wife. Business drama - he reviews Peggy's (unsuccessful) "Bean Ballet" TV campaign pitch to Heniz clients. And there's more and more about the drama and signs of the times.

Have you voted for your favorite retro ad in Newsweek's special "Mad Men" issue? (To vote, log on to Facebook. Then come back here and click this link to see the ads and vote.) As of March 26, #1 is Domtar Paper (16%); #2 is Hush Puppies (105); #3 is SPAM (9%); #4 is Triumph Motorcycles; #5 is Estee Lauder (4%).

But after all that PR and media coverage, when it comes down to the bottom line, which show grabbed the lion's share of the prized TV viewing audience at 9 PM on March 25? "Mad Men" (AMC) drew 3.2 million viewers - a record for any "Mad Men" season premiere. "Desperate Housewives" (ABC) drew 8.7 million viewers. "The Good Wife" (CBS) drew 9.3 million viewers.

Advertising revenues are what keep TV going as compared to falling revenues in print media (newspapers and magazines) as digital/mobile technology continues to fragment the old "mass market" model.

The return of "Mad Men" is getting ink and links as we get closer to Sunday, March 25 at 9 PM EDT. Entertainment Weekly went to great lengths in its cover story, "Don of a New Era." "Don" (dawn pun) as in Don Draper.

Cheat Sheet: It's been 17 months since the last episode. In case you've forgotten, here's where the "Mad Men" characters left off.

Here's where you can see more than you (n)ever needed to know about "Mad Men." "Trust me. I work in advertising." Don Draper.

"If you see Ed's jacket hanging on the back of his chair in the office, you'll find him across the street at Rattazzi's (Bar)." Bev Barker.

As an alumna of Madison Avenue (copywriter at Ogilvy & Mather) I'm a "Mad Men" (AMC-cable) fan. I've been waiting for the much-touted issue of Newsweek which celebrates "Mad Men's" fifth season. The special double issue (March 26 & April 2, 2012) hit the newsstand today so just for fun, I drove over and bought a (print) copy. Of course, online you can just click on lead stories or download the iPad issue ("free for paid subscribers").

One Newsweek article is "Meeting the new Don Drapers - how 10 creative geniuses make the digital age work for them" (story on page 60). MediaWorks picked one of these "creative geniuses" - David Droga (Creative Chairman at Droga5) in a video interview, "Droga on 'Mad Men': They Dressed Better, But Things Are More Interesting Now." (Pardon the commercials.)

But let's not forget the most important part of this Newsweek "Mad Men" issue: The "retro" ads and revenue that paid to produce it. See all 22 ads and vote for your favorite.