Don't you just love it when life sort of imitates art?

Jon Hamm, who plays the chain smoking Don Draper on TV's 'Mad Men,' has been hired by Mercedes Benz as a pitchman for their car commercials, which will premiere during the Academy Awards.

This means, of course, that Mr. Hamm will replace actor Richard Thomas who has done the voiceover for Mercedes' car commercials for the last four years. Good night Jon-Boy.

The company's marketing VP Stephen Cannon called Hamm "a hot actor." That must have been one awkward audition.

When shows go off the air in between seasons, the actors use this long break to do some profound beard growing. The actresses might do the same thing, but I've never seen a picture of them in the papers to prove it.

The entire male cast of 'Mad Men' did the same thing and cast member MIchael Gladis gave his review of all of his co-workers' "break beards".

[via Pop Candy]

Earlier today, Joel gave you an early look at season three of Mad Men. We're not sure what exactly to expect from the new season, but we know what happened in season two. If you haven't seen season two for some reason, or just need a quick refresher before Sunday's season premiere, here's a recap of the entire season in four minutes.

We haven't done a giveaway in a while, but we couldn't resist when we were offered this opportunity: We've got three copies of Mad Men: Season Two on DVD for three lucky, random commenters. The DVD is out in stores starting tomorrow.

To enter, leave a comment below before 5:00PM Eastern, Friday, July 17 simply telling us why you'd like to own this DVD set. As always, we'll randomly choose three winners amongst the eligible entries. Some other details:
Click here for complete Official Rules.

While we continue to wait for creator Matthew Weiner and some of the actors of Mad Men to re-sign for a third season of the show (really, I'm not worried at all, it will happen), let's talk about this Sunday's second season finale of the show, titled "Meditations In An Emergency."

Don is in California, being more Dick than Don, playing house with Anna Draper and baptizing himself in the waters of the Pacific. I think the big question for the season finale is what exactly is Don going to do? Is he going to stay out in California, running away from his responsibilities and change his name again, like he did after Korea? Or is Anna going to convince him to go back to his life in New York, back to Betty and his kids?

And what about Betty? Will she take him back, or has she become a woman now, finally, and on to the next chapter in her life?

It's somewhat rare when a TV show lives up to massive hype, but Mad Men really is one of those shows. It really is as great as you've heard, and it's great to see AMC putting so much money and time behind it. The second season premieres on Sunday, July 27 (after a July 20 marathon to get non-fans caught up), and below are some videos to give you a taste for what the show is like and what might be in store for the guys and girls at Sterling Cooper.

(And yes, in the new cast photo above, Paul has a beard!)