Red Sox in dumps, Pirates as champs: Explaining my MLB predictions

This weeks Pop Quiz question came from Gary Mintz of South Huntington:Name the well-known Astros pitcher who can be seen in action during a Minute Maid Park scene from the 2014 film Boyhood.

Monday, at Yankee Stadium, was Opening Day number 26 for me, liberally counting the 1989 and 1993 home openers Yankees and Tigers, respectively that I attended.

To my personal inventory, lets add last years game:

25. March 31, 2014, at Citi Field (Nationals 9, Mets 7, 10 innings): For a franchise owning a history of heartbreak, the Mets outdid themselves, at least in the Opening Day category. They blew leads of 3-0, 4-2 and 5-4; Bobby Parnell blew the save with one out to go in the ninth and wound up missing the rest of the season with a torn elbow; and Long Islander John Lannans Mets career started awfully (and finished soon after).

Ill wait until a year from now to write up Monday, though heres my column.

Last Thursday, The Post released its annual baseball preview section, replete with predictions. Heres a breakdown of whom I predicted and why. It isnt too late to go to Vegas and bet against these.

AL East

1. Orioles2. Blue Jays3. Yankees4. Red Sox5. Rays

Mondays results notwithstanding, I still think you can justify any 1-through-5 order of this division. I wouldnt call it wide open as much as I would confounding.

The Orioles barely lifted a finger in the offseason, yet they have Chris Davis, Manny Machado and (they hope) Matt Wieters returning and Kevin Gausman possibly soaring.The Blue Jays made two huge pickups in Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin, yet theyre relying heavily on rookies and suffered a huge spring-training loss in would-be ace Marcus Stroman.

The Rays are trying their annual limbo of rebuilding and contending, only without longtime baseball operations head Andrew Friedman and manager Joe Maddon.The Yankees winter and direction actually make the most sense to me. Theyre in a transition year. They just cant say that to their fans.

The Red Sox? You could argue that the Red Soxs run of the last four years ranks among the most bizarre timelines in baseball history:

2011: Epic collapse out of the playoffs. Championship manager (Terry Francona) pushed out. Championship GM (Theo Epstein) jumps out.

2012: Last place. Manager (Bobby Valentine) fired after disastrous one-year term.

2013: World Series champs.

2014: Last place.

So what do we make of all this? I went with the Orioles out of respect for their talent, even after losing Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis and Andrew Miller, and the culture they have established underGM Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter.

Picking the Yankees third is a sign of respect for their culture, as Joe Girardi has managed to squeeze the most out of his talent and results the prior two seasons. The Yankees havent produced a positive run differential since 2012, and Id be surprised if they did so this year. I have them finishing 78-84.

Which means I have the Red Sox tallying fewer than 78 wins. I am skeptical of their ace-less starting rotatiounderstanding they have the chips to trade for an ace such as Cole Hamels, whom they smoked on Monday, and I have seen too many big names and big contracts struggle to adjust to the New York-Boston corridor to think that Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval can do so smoothly.

AL Central

1. Tigers2. Indians (Wild Card)3. White Sox4. Royals5. Twins

Justin Verlander will miss the start of the season.Photo: AP

I made these before Justin Verlander went down, so I guess Im going with the idea Verlander will return shortly, as the Tigers profess, and will pitch competently. And I still think their model of recent years a top-heavy roster and payroll can pay off, with Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez still having enough left.

The Indians seem to be the popular pick this year. I have them as the wild card, so Im not necessarily shaking my fist at the bandwagon. I just have questions about their pitching depth behind reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber.

Have the defending league champs ever looked worse than they do this year? The Royals offseason moves inspired few, and you remember they won just 89 regular-season games last year. Hard to see them replicating their 2014 magic without major steps up from homegrown guys Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas.

AL West

1. Mariners2. As (WC)3. Angels4. Rangers5. Astros

I submitted these picks during the last week of spring training. The next day, at a Grapefruit League game, I crossed paths with an NL teams talent evaluator who spends a lot of time out West. He wondered why the Mariners were getting so much media love and proceeded to destroy everyone on their roster besides Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez.He picked the Angels, for what its worth.

I went with Seattle because I think Cruz will help expand the lineup in the short term, and because I think James Paxton and Taijuan Walker can back up King Felix. I also went with the Ms because I dont think the Angels can count on repeat performances from guys like Matt Shoemaker and Garrett Richards (currently on the disabled list), who helped them get to 98 wins last year.

The As? I think the As can pull off another impressive tightrope walk of simultaneously rebuilding and reloading.

ALCS: Tigers over Mariners. Elite hitters, elite starting pitchers, and Detroits bullpen cant be that awful again, can it?

NL East

1. Nationals2. Marlins3. Mets4. Braves5. Phillies

Can Terry Collins and the Mets steal the division from Matt Williams Nationals?Photo: UPI

There were times in spring training when I looked around the Mets clubhouse and thought to myself, This team can win the division. Maybe it can. Yet after talking to enough trusted voices in the game, I stuck with the Nationals up top, despite their current injury problems, and decided the Mets werent quite ready for such a leap. 84-78 sounds right.

Why? While I applaud Mets ownership for picking up the tab on lefty Jerry Blevins last week, we still need to see a big July trade to believe this team really possesses the necessary resources. I also am curious to see how Terry Collins performs in a more pressurized environment after doing strong janitorial work from 2011 through 2014. We all know game management has not been Collins strength.

I didnt love the Marlins offseason moves Im not a big Dee Gordon believer but many of those trusted voices were more enthusiastic, pointing in particular to the Martin Prado acquisition.

NL Central

1. Pirates2. Cardinals (WC)3. Cubs4. Reds5. Brewers

I am high on the Pirates, who are going for their third straight postseason berth. I think Pittsburgh can get A.J. Burnett to finish his interesting career on a high note. I think Gerrit Cole, at 24, can make The Leap. And I think Andrew McCutchen is about as perfect a non-Mike Trout player as youll find in the game.

GM Neal Huntington, after a rocky beginning, has displayed a real knack for filling holes. A hole emerged when Martin left for the Blue Jays. Can former Yankee Francisco Cervelli fill the void? Im betting on Cervelli having his first bona fide, full and productive big-league campaign, and others in the lineup (Pedro Alvarez, Gregory Polanco) helping, too.

The Cubs are exciting, what with Maddon in the managers office, Jon Lester leading the starting rotation and Kris Bryant coming up as soon as he improves his defense. But they probably need another year to marinate.

NL West

1. Padres2. Dodgers (WC)3. Giants4. Rockies5. Diamondbacks

Matt Kemp had an RBI double against ex-teammate Clayton Kershaw, but the Dodgers rallied past the Padres on Opening Day.Photo: AP

I made these before San Diego added the games best closer, Craig Kimbrel, in a trade with Atlanta. Usually, a stats geek like me prefers a more methodical approach to team-building, but weve never seen anything quite like A.J. Prellers rookie year as a GM. I think its going to work.

I still have the Dodgers overcoming concerns about their pitching staff, as well as the stress surrounding Don Mattinglys job security, to qualify. And advance further than the Padres in the postseason.

The Giants? See: the Royals. Brutal winter, and even an Opening Day victory was tempered by the newsthat Matt Cains right elbow is barking and Jake Peavys back is stiff. Yeesh.

NLCS: Pirates over Dodgers. Ill go with the best player, McCutchen, over the best pitcher (Clayton Kershaw, of course). And the heartbreaking tale of Mattingly failing to make the World Series once again.

World Series champ: Pirates. A Midwest Fall Classic in November! The Pirates better-rounded roster trumps the Tigers stars for Pittsburghs first championship since 1979.

The Pop Quiz answer is Roger Clemens. If you have a tidbit that connects baseball to popular culture, please send it to me at kdavidoff@nypost.com.

Source: http://nypost.com/2015/04/07/red-sox-in-last-pirates-as-champs-explaining-my-mlb-predictions/

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JJ Watt or Aaron Rodgers -- who is Wisconsin's top NFL-star fan?

In the crowd to watch the Wisconsin Badgers take on the Duke Blue Devils in Monday's national championship game were two rather decent NFL players:

One was Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, the Wisconsin native, former Badger and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year who took in the game alongside tennis player Caroline Wozniacki:

The other? Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the reigning NFL MVP who watched with actress/girlfriend Olivia Munn (not pictured):

If you don't believe Rodgers, who played at California, can be a Badgers fan, here is what he had to say about that (note: red refers to rival Stanford's colors):

2 semesters at Butte 3 semesters at Cal10 years a Wisconsin resident. I'll pull for any team I want. But I don't wear red.

Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) March 29, 2015

That's some pretty hefty football firepower behind the basketball Badgers. Who's No. 1?

Source: http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/post/_/id/12633122/jj-watt-aaron-rodgers-wisconsin-top-nfl-star-fan

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Bust Of Edward Snowden Erected In Fort Greene Park, Promptly Covered ...

A bust of Edward Snowden was erected overnight in Fort Greene Parkand it's already been covered up by authorities.

[UPDATE BELOW] The 100-pound bust of the (in)famous NSA whistleblower was erected near the park's Prison Ship Martyrs Monument early Monday morning. The artists who pulled it off told ANIMAL:

"Fort Greenes Prison Ship Martyrs Monument is a memorial to American POWs who lost their lives during the Revolutionary War. We have updated this monument to highlight those who sacrifice their safety in the fight against modern-day tyrannies. It would be a dishonor to those memorialized here to not laud those who protect the ideals they fought for, as Edward Snowden has by bringing the NSAs 4th-Amendment-violating surveillance programs to light. All too often, figures who strive to uphold these ideals have been cast as criminals rather than in bronze.

"Our goal is to bring a renewed vitality to the space and prompt even more visitors to ponder the sacrifices made for their freedoms. We hope this inspires them to reflect upon the responsibility we all bear to ensure our liberties exist long into the future."

Authorities quickly covered the bust with a tarp, thus shielding parents from all sorts of invasive questions from their curious offspring, like "What is the NSA?" and "Isn't it ironic that the bust of a man known for blowing the lid off of the country's surveillance program is now being physically hidden with a tarp?"

Most visitors to the park, it seems, have no problem with Snowden's likeness watching over them as they walk their dogs.

"By covering it, it attracts more attention to the issue of censorship" park-goer Justine Williams told us."I thought it was a fantastic stunt and act of resistance. It so beautifully slipped into the aesthetic of the other things in the park."

As one passerby earnestly asked: "When's the unveiling?"

The NYC Parks Department declined to comment on the guerilla bust.

Reporting by Maud Rozee

Update, 4:10 p.m.: And that's the end of that.

Source: http://gothamist.com/2015/04/06/snowden_bust_fort_greene.php

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Duke's title was aided by awful officiating down the stretch

One finger on one ball. (Screenshot)

Why even have replay?

Why waste everybodys time taking two minutes to look a replay, giving analysts, viewers and anyone else with two eyes the chance to see what should been the correct call, only to have officials walk away from the sideline desk to say the exact opposite? Replay in this NCAA tournament seems to have gotten more wrong than right. In this case, it was a contended out-of-bounds call that had actually gone off the fingertips of Justise Winslow, not a Wisconsin player as had originally been called.

Two minutes, probably dozens of views of multiple angles of replays and three highly trained officials, deemed good enough to be reffing in the biggest game of the year, disagreed with all three CBS analysts, all of Twitter and every American watching. Even a non-delusional Duke fan had to know this ball was out on Winslow.

But, alas, the three men who needed to know didnt. Duke retained the ball up 63-58, hit a three pointer on its next possession, went up 66-58 and basically clinched the game with 1:24 remaining. It was an ugly game with a fun back-and-forth pace, but it didnt deserve to be decided by officials who couldnt tell what was plainly obvious.

(USA TODAY Sports Images)

Its too bad too, because now anti-Dukies will bring up this play and say Duke should have lost. But, realistically, there was probably an 80% chance Duke was winning even if Wisconsin got the ball. With the way Jahlil Okafor and Grayson Allen were playing and how Coach K was coaching down the stretch, it was hard to see Wisconsin overcoming that.

The officiating was the only disappointing thing about a classic 2015 NCAA tournament. Every game has bad calls, but over the past three weeks, so many of those bad calls came near the end. Would the tournament have turned out differently if competence had beendressed in black and white?

(USA TODAY Sports Images)

Controversy, Duke basketball, Final Four, March Madness, Trending, Wisconsin basketball, NCAAB

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Source: http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/duke-wisconsin-out-of-bounds-call-justise-winslow-ncaa-final

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A globalising papacy

AT EASTER time, the papacy shows its most local and its most global sides. For Romans, spectacular Holy Week ceremonies such as the sorrowful procession led by the pope on Good Friday and the pre-Easter vigil (pictured) are a familiar way-station in the city's life, just as every other Italian town has its own distinctive rituals at this season. But one such ceremony has an audience far wider than Rome itself: the pope's Paschal message, which is designed to give heart to Catholics all over the world.The message is followed by an international audience of hundreds of millions, and is addressed urbi et orbi, to the city andthe world.

For any modern pope, balancing the office's inherited Roman and Italian connections with its global ones is a challenge. Over two years,Francis has shiftedthe papacy awayfrom entanglement with its Italian base and towards a more international profile. This is to be expected from an institutionthat is sometimes called the world's largest NGO, with over 1billion followers.Francis has appointed many new cardinals from theglobal South, so that Europeans now make up less than half the 125 prelates who are entitled to elect a new pontiff. The curia, the Vatican's Italian-dominated administration,now accounts for 27% of voting cardinals, down from 35% a fewyears ago. An Australian cardinal, George Pell, has been put in charge of cleaning up the Vatican's finances.

All that haschangedthe ethosthat prevailed under Benedict XVI, the previous pope. Although Benedict was German, hiscuria seemed to sit very comfortably with the Italian governments headed bySilvio Berlusconi. Mr Berlusconi avidly talked up Italy's Christian heritage, although he never claimed to bea paragonof ascetic virtue. His government and the Vatican co-operated both on domestic issues, for example by defending the presence of crucifixes in Italian classrooms,and on European ones, like persuading the European Unionto make religious libertyan explicit aim of its external policy, notesPasquale Annicchino, a religion scholar at the European University Institute.

Church-state connections are looser now.Neither the popenor the Italian government wants the old cosiness to come back.Although a practising Catholic,Matteo Renzi, the 40-year-old prime minister, speaks for a younger and less clerically-minded generation of Italians. Born in Argentina to Italian parents,Francis certainlyhas a high profile among the Italian public, but he is less tied to the country's power structures. Some saw this week's appointment of an Italian old-timer,Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, to the oversight of Catholic education as a sign that theformerregime stillhas traction. But it may be more significant that he is losinghis old job,which included responsibility for economic affairs.

More broadly,many feel thatto keep up with global developments, thede-Italianisation of the Vatican will haveto go a lot faster. Catholicism's biggest numbers are in developing countries, where it faces huge challenges, whether from rival forms of Christianity such as Pentecostalism, orfrom Islam, which is projected ina new studyby the Washington-based Pew Forumto catch up withChristianity's share of the global population (about 30%) by 2050.Takesub-SaharanAfrica, which by2050 is predictedto have1.9 billion inhabitants, up from 823m in 2010.Within that fast-growing pool of people, Pew says, both Christianity in its various forms and Islam will more than double theirnumbersby mid-century. Christianity will go from 517m people (63% of the total) to 1.1 billion (59% of the total), while Islam rises from 248m (30%) to 670m (35%).

As of now, there are just 15 voting cardinals from Africa. That may be too few to stay competitive in such a volatile religious marketplace. Then again, the church must also reserve space for other growing regions in the developing world, such as Latin America and east Asia. It is a daunting challenge for a millennia-old, tradition-bound institution, but unlike his predecessor Francis appears to be giving it his full attention.

Source: http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/04/globalising-papacy

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Dodgers set MLB record with $270 million Opening Day payroll

The Los Angeles Dodgers have set a major league record with their $270 million Opening Day payroll, according to calculations by the Associated Press and USA Today.

MLB player salaries also reached a new high, with the average major leaguer making $4.2 million, up 15 percent over the past two seasons. By comparison NBA players make an average of $5 million, NHL players make an average of $2.58 million and NFL players made an average of $2.016 million for the 2014 season.

Trending on The Daily Cut

The Dodgers record-setting payroll includes the team paying $43.8 million this season to players who arent even on their roster.

They will pay $18 million of Matt Kemp's $21 million salary after he was traded to the San Diego Padres, while$12.5 million is going to the Miami Marlins to cover salaries for pitcher Dan Haren and second baseman Dee Gordon. A total of $13 million will be paid to released pitchers Brian Wilson, Dustin McGowan and Chad Billingsley.

"It's a different world, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said to USA Today. "But I don't ever really think about payroll numbers other than using them in the abstract to shape a roster. I don't think about it as real dollars' worth in the roster construction process. It is what it is, and we operate within the parameters that we're given.

CORCORAN: Guide to the biggest Opening Day feast in baseball history

The New York Yankees are second on the MLB payroll list at $219 million, followed by the Boston Red Sox ($175 million), San Francisco Giants ($173.2 million) and Detroit Tigers ($172.8 million). The Houston Astros and ($69.1 million) and Marlins ($69.2 million) have baseballs lowest payroll.

A record 508 players will make $1 million or more this season, led by Dodgers pitcher and National League MVP and Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, who will take home $31 million. Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander is set to make $28 million, Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke will be paid $27 million and injured Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton will make $25.4 million.

- Scooby Axson

Source: http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/04/06/mlb-los-angeles-dodgers-payroll

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Most likely to succeed? A look at the future possibilities for the cast of ...

Its been months since Mad Men cast members have collected or in some instances, poached their favorite items from the set and have started moving past the show. January Jones said she nicked a silver set, and John Slattery said he took a lamp from Rogers office. Creator Matthew Weiner held on to Rogers bar.

Meanwhile, Mad Mens audience is left to digest the last six episodes, the first of which begins Sunday night.

For Mad Men devotees, the characters feel so familiar, and were so wedded to theircarefully curated mid-century to late-60s looks, that imagining them in outside roles feels almost sacrilegious. Soon a new process begins:getting accustomed to witnessing cast members in the next steps of their careers, even if they feel like giant anachronisms.

Of course, some cast members have positioned themselves for the inevitable better than others, but heres a breakdown of who would get voted Most Likely to Succeed following Mad Men:

Sure bets:

Elisabeth Moss

Much like her character, Peggy Olson, Elisabeth Moss really seems to have her stuff together. Shes picked thoughtful, interesting projects such as Jane Campions Top of the Lake and The One I Love that have been well-received. Both are still available via Netflix streaming, and fans of Top of the Lake have their fingers crossed that the announcement of a second season means Moss will be reprising her role as Detective Robin Griffin.

Moss isalso starring in the revival of Wendy Wassersteins Pulitzer-winning play, The Heidi Chronicles, on Broadway.

And even though it took some getting used to, she wisely ditched Peggys good-girl wash-and-set mouse-brown locks in favor of loose blond waves. She has been showing up at premieres and other promotional events in modern, attention-seeking garb. Moss is like the Tracy Flick of actresses. She has mapped out her career path, which co-star Jon Hamm alluded to in an interview with GQ, and it shows.

Kiernan Shipka

If nothing else, Shipka, 15, can probably spend the rest of her days as a sought-after fashion plate, though not in the weird, slightly unnerving Chloe Sevigny sort of way. As weve watched Sally Draper grow up, weve watched Shipka grow up, too, apparently with nary an awkward phase in sight, and the actress has had grown women salivating over the contents of her closet since she was 11. We even have ideas for business cards: Kiernan Shipka, fashion sherpa.

Fashion aside, Shipka has been working almost since birth (she was a Gerber baby) and she has a couple of movies in the pipeline: Fan Girl, a comedy with Meg Ryan and Scott Adsit (30 Rock), and February, a thriller set at a boarding school like Miss Porters, but darker! Shipkas first cinematic lead in One and Two, directed by Andrew Droz Palermo, premiered earlier this year at SXSW.

As far as material goes that I want to do, its stuff that does scare me and is challenging, Shipka told Indiewire. Material that is fun and with good people [laughs] . . . hopefully, fingers crossed. But just constantly being challenged and working on material that I like is the dream.

Jon Hamm

Hamm has expressed worries about getting pigeonholed as a romantic comedy star, which is a valid concern, although he might also want to steer clear of scripts that call for moody, emotionally distant, self-medicating jerks, too. In Million Dollar Arm, he played a modern-day rich jerk who starts to drink too much.A Young Doctors Notebook was was more of a showcase of Daniel Radcliffes talents than Hamms, and there, too, Hamm played a self-medicating doctor in Middle-of-Nowhere, Russia.In Bridesmaids, he was a bro-y, Porsche-driving jerk, but he was hilarious, and this explains the anticipation for seeing him in the Netflix adaptation of Wet Hot American Summer, which premiers in July.

As evidenced by promising turns in 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Saturday Night Live, Hamm is a natural at comedy he takes to nerdy, pocket-protector-sporting outfits surprisingly well, given his classic good looks.

Look, the one constant thing Ive had in my career is now removed, Hamm told GQ. And thats an eye-opener: Are people still going to take me seriously? Am I just going to do romantic comedies for the rest of my life? Whats next? And I dont know, you know? I wish I was smug enough to have had a grand plan. I guess some people would say, Okay, the last three years of Mad Men is going to be like this: I want to do a play. I want to do this. I want to do that. I was just like, I want to do something that seems cool.

On the bubble:

Christina Hendricks

More than any other figure in Mad Men, Christina Hendricks is the one who is most impossible to separate from her character, the inimitable Joan Harris, and she knows it.

Last month, Hendricks changed her hair color from Joans signature red to strawberry blonde, and Clairol, for which Hendricks is a brand ambassador,pretty much went nuts letting everyone know about it. Has there ever been so much hoopla for an actress slightly changing her hair color? Itwas definitely a calculated move for Hendricks to communicate Im not Joan anymore!

Hendricks got lost in Gods Pocket, the film co-written and directed by Slattery, her Mad Men co-star, and suffered a similar fate inI Dont Know How She Does It, both performances where she was present, but not especially memorable.

She had the misfortune of starring in Lost River, the Ryan Gosling-directed movie that did so poorly at Cannes last year that Warner Bros. elected not to release it in theaters. Gosling bore the responsibility for that turkey, but still. Heres how Variety critic Justin Chang described it:

Had Terrence Malick and David Lynch somehow conceived an artistic love-child together, only to see it get kidnapped, strangled and repeatedly kicked in the face by Nicolas Winding Refn, the results might look and sound something like Lost River, a risible slab of Detroit gothic that marks an altogether inauspicious writing-directing debut for Ryan Gosling.

Not exactly the sort of wordsyou wantto be associated with when youre trying to graduate from prestige television.

However, Hendricks is starring in another Refn movie. She did Drive with Gosling and shes working on The Neon Demon. Shes also in Dark Places, based on the 2009 Gillian Flynn novel of the same name. Given the enormity of Gone Girl, this seems promising, assuming shes not overshadowed by Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult andChlo Grace Moretz.

Vincent Kartheiser

Kartheiser was just so good at being the hateful, insecure weasel of a man that is Pete Campbell, soit was easy to squint and/or roll your eyes at him whenever he appeared onscreen. Its difficult to disassociate him from that Campbell, especially when he appears in public with that shaved hairline, and he hasnt had any truly high-profile work since Mad Men started that helps us visualize him as anyone else. Kartheisers tastes run a little eclectic in a land of mansions, McMansions and muscle cars, hes the guy who lived in seamlessly designed 580-square foot house until he got engaged to Mad Men guest star Alexis Bledel. It may be small, but its areallynice house its even accompanied by a matching tiny sauna, and it was featured in a Dwell magazine spread. We may not see him in anything huge for awhile, but thats likely by design.

But Kartheisers in a couple of indie projects that sound interesting. Theres Day Out of Days, a new film by Broken English director Zoe Cassavetes about 40-year-old actress whos dealing with the realities of competing with younger actresses and getting eclipsed by her ex-husband. Kartheiser stars alongside Melanie Griffith and Scandals Bellamy Young.

Theres also Red Knot, with Olivia Thirlby (Juno), about a couple on their honeymoon aboard a ship headed to the Antarctic. Scott Cohen filmed the movie on 350-foot research vessel on a 23-day trip from Argentina to Antarctica, with a script he cobbled together in two months, using the ships other passengers as extras.

Hmm:

January Jones

Maybe its just more difficult to shake a character who is defined by their ability to be supremely unpleasant. It was easy to hate Betty, even when you could recognizethe sources of her frustration and her inability to do much about them.

Consider Joness roles before Mad Men. Like her bit part in Love, Actually. Or American Wedding. Or Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. Its a dubious mix of forgettable scenes, but maybe Jones just needed a show like Mad Men to showcase her preternatural ability to look as though she has just wafted fumes from a nearby landfill.

Jones has moved on to Last Man on Earth, with Will Forte, where shes one of two of the last women on Earth. The other is played by Kristen Schaal, whom Forte regrets marrying. He didnt know Joness character, Melissa, existed, and he experiences the matrimonial equivalent of buyers remorse. Stripped of Bettys support garments and icy remove, Jones sort of fades into the unremarkable nature of her previous roles. But its worth checking out Sweetwater, a 2013 western in which Jones plays a gun-toting painted lady.

Jessica Par

If nothing else,Par will always be remembered for Zou Bisou Bisou a moment some of us are still processing.

Like Betty, some just never warmed to Megan. Salon called her the overbite that launched a thousand irrelevant subplots. Maybe its just the curse of playing Dons wives. Par doesnt have much on her docket for the future, though shemay be taking a break. She did just gave birth last month.

Par is rumored to be playing Samantha Baxter in the Mike Bruce film Desiree Dream, but theres not much buzz aside from that. Although Megan Draper was the breakthrough role of her career, Par has yet to truly capitalize on it, as her most recognizable role outside of Mad Men is a shirtless minute she endured in Hot Tub Time Machine.

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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/04/05/most-likely-to-succeed-a-look-at-the-future-possibilities-for-the-cast-of-mad-men/

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