“I hate to break it to you, but there is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent."

i have not heard much about hamm outside the show, other than that he's been around for a while and struggled for some time. the character of don draper that has been created in 'mad men' is so compelling i almost don't believe that he's being played by an actor. although i'm sorry if it turns out jon hamm is a bit of a dissembler.

frankly, i don't know if i am more excited about the start of the baseball season or the new season of 'mad men'. i've been watching the old episodes daily in anticipation of the new season.

okay, i'm more excited about baseball, but mad men is a close second.

from what i've seen of don draper, i'd say its even money that his new wife is not even around when the new season starts. also, i predict either roger sterling or bert cooper dies this season.

imdb.com needs a retrosheet function?

watched the clip. i think he got carried away and should have corrected letterman and neglected to. but it is on him.

“I hate to break it to you, but there is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent."

one of his best scenes. i love how he unapologetically takes on the hippies and bohemians in that episode.

Roger Sterling needs to come back in a major way. Seems like he was off-screen a lot last season, and the show suffered for it.

Yea, I bet Bert Cooper dies.

I knew he graduated from Mizzou, did not know he attended UT before that.

Clemens was a regular at the UT alumni ballgame. I was at the game in 1986(?) and Clemens and Schiraldi were there. If Hamm played for the UT team it's possible that they were on the field at the same time. It doesn't sound like he did based on the quote above.

Supposedly when John Hamm was paying his dues as a struggling actor, he was employed as a drama teacher at a high or junior high school. One of his students was Ellie Kemper, she of The Office.

Hamm is also fantastic in just about every comedic role he plays. He really sells the ridiculous stuff he's made to say. His "Jon Hamm's John Ham" SNL sketch from a couple years ago is a great example.

Yea, I bet Bert Cooper dies.

i would normally think it almost certain but matthew weiner (the show creator) likes to keep the twists coming, which means roger -- a two time heart attack guy -- is just as vulnerable. he wrote sal romano (the excellent new orleans native bryan batt) right out of the show without blinking an eye, and that was one of the most interesting characters. i don't think weiner is above doing something drastic like this.

I knew he graduated from Mizzou

He's a terrific actor, but he appears in these ads for the university and seems ridiculously, over-the-top serious when he puts down his script (cause you know, he's an actor), looks in the camera, and in response to the school cheer "M-I-Z", he solemnly states "Z-O-U.....forever". It makes me laugh every time I see it, but I don't think its supposed to be funny.

He was pretty intense in his St. Louis Blues promo too.

I believe he might have faced Clemens, even as a walk-on tryout. Clemens showed up at UT workouts for years after he was in the bigs. Still may, for all I know. UT starts its season ridiculously early so if Hamm was trying out it could have been late January, early February. Not hard to imagine Clemens being there getting some work in before big league spring training.

EDIT: Okay, should have read TFA first, it says pretty much the same thing. Never mind.

the character of don draper that has been created in 'mad men' is so compelling i almost don't believe that he's being played by an actor. although i'm sorry if it turns out jon hamm is a bit of a dissembler.

Amusingly enough, everything I've read and heard about Jon Hamm indicates that in his normal life, he's kind of a goofball and very easy-going, kind of like a smarter version of his doctor character in 30 Rock, or in other words the opposite of Don Draper. I guess that speaks to how good he is as an actor.

Oh, and he was also high school friends with Paul Rudd, which I find just as weird as his Ellie Kemper connection. Kansas Citians - they're all over.

This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened.

Jon Hamm is a St. Louisan. He went to John Burroughs High School (same high school as Ellie Kemper). He went to Texas, but graduated from Mizzou.

Paul Rudd is a Kansas Citian, although he grew up in the Kansas part. He went to high school at Shawnee Mission West. He went to Kansas.

Paul Rudd was two years ahead of Jon Hamm in high school.

It is possible they knew each other in high school, I suppose, but not terribly likely.

That is all.

He's a terrific actor, but he appears in these ads for the university and seems ridiculously, over-the-top serious when he puts down his script (cause you know, he's an actor), looks in the camera, and in response to the school cheer "M-I-Z", he solemnly states "Z-O-U.....forever". It makes me laugh every time I see it, but I don't think its supposed to be funny.

Yea, i know the feeling, and they play it during every sporting even possible .

Dammit, #15. I was dying to write that first.

I like Jon Hamm and all, but while watching an Arrested Development marathon on IFC in 2010, there was a little Sundance feature, about Howl, the Ginsberg bio starring James Franco, in which Hamm played his attorney. Anyway, when they cut to an interview blip with him, he had on a beret, a monochrome-striped shirt, and an all-stubble beard. He looked like an insufferable cartoon, and I now sit in permanent judgment of him.

Clemens was a regular at the UT alumni ballgame. I was at the game in 1986(?) and Clemens and Schiraldi were there. If Hamm played for the UT team it's possible that they were on the field at the same time.

That was my first thought.

My second thought was that this was just another canned interview done by these horrid late night talk shows that people for some reason find an interest in, and the writers just made the sh^t up for Hamm to say.

My third thought was that Hamm is a ####### liar.

i would normally think it almost certain but matthew weiner (the show creator) likes to keep the twists coming, which means roger -- a two time heart attack guy -- is just as vulnerable. he wrote sal romano (the excellent new orleans native bryan batt) right out of the show without blinking an eye, and that was one of the most interesting characters. i don't think weiner is above doing something drastic like this.

Sal was a great character. Cutting him was probably at least partially a budgetary decision (along with Paul and Kenny, though they brought Kenny back). They all went out through various plot devices in the third season, before which there was the huge contract clash between Weiner and Lionsgate.

Jon Hamm is a St. Louisan. He went to John Burroughs High School (same high school as Ellie Kemper). He went to Texas, but graduated from Mizzou.

Paul Rudd is a Kansas Citian, although he grew up in the Kansas part. He went to high school at Shawnee Mission West. He went to Kansas.

Paul Rudd was two years ahead of Jon Hamm in high school.

It is possible they knew each other in high school, I suppose, but not terribly likely.

That is all.

They at least met each other as teenagers (assuming you believe the stories actors tell entertainment reporters, which I suppose you can't now that Jon Hamm has called the whole industry into question).

He's not necessarily a liar. Maybe he could have corrected Letterman about being a student the same time Clemens was a student, but the gist of the story was that he caught Clemens, and derailing the story to explain that Clemens comes back to visit his alma mater every year seemed unimportant. Maybe.

I agree that the interview portion of talk shows suck. I can't believe anyone thinks the conversations are spontaneous.

Hamm shows up on a number of comedy podcasts - he's quite charming/funny.

Hamm shows up on a number of comedy podcasts - he's quite charming/funny.

I can't remember who said it, but I thought I read in an interview with someone at SNL that Jon Hamm was the most naturally funny, easy-going guest they've had in a long time, and it was a no-brainer to ask him to come back. He could be on the Alec Baldwin career track.

Oh, and he was also high school friends with Paul Rudd, which I find just as weird as his Ellie Kemper connection. Kansas Citians - they're all over.

Paul Rudd was also supposedly friends with Joe Buck - from St. Louis - as teenagers.

And Ellie Kemper has ties to KC - she is related to THE Kempers, as in the ones the arena is named after. St. Louis and KC are intertwined forever.

I wouldn't at all be surprised to see Sal come back, at least in a cameo.

I agree that the interview portion of talk shows suck. I can't believe anyone thinks the conversations are spontaneous.

"So, Angelina, you were recently in France. Did anything happen there?"
"Why, yes, a waiter spilled iced tea all over Brad. And then Brad said 'Good thing it wasn't hot tea!'"
"Nyah, nyah, nyah."

Learn how to interview someone if you have a show where you interview people, for crying out loud.

I agree that the interview portion of talk shows suck. I can't believe anyone thinks the conversations are spontaneous.

Larry Sanders ruined late-night tv for me, or made it funnier, I don't know anymore.

Paul Rudd was also supposedly friends with Joe Buck - from St. Louis - as teenagers.

That's easier to explain - they were college roommates at Kansas.

My third thought was that Hamm is a ####### liar.

Well yes, he's an actor. Being a professional liar is basically his job description.

Mad Men is all well and good, but check out the Game of Thrones Season 2 trailer!

http://io9.com/game-of-thrones/

Paul Rudd was also supposedly friends with Joe Buck - from St. Louis - as teenagers.

That's easier to explain - they were college roommates at Kansas.

If this is a joke it went right over my head, but Joe Buck went to Indiana.