Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Mad Men

If you're a regular reader of Baristanet, you've undoubtedly heard of Soprano Sue, Clifton-based chronicler of all things "Sopranos." Now meet Roberta Lipp of Little Falls, the Soprano Sue of AMC's "Mad Men," who along with her sister Deborah Lipp runs "Basket of Kisses," the biggest independent "Mad Men" fansite on the web.Roberta Lipp (shown left, with Mad Men creator Matt Weiner and her sister Deborah) won't give up any information about her website's traffic, though she does say "we have credible numbers." They also have the ear of Matt Weiner, who dropped by the site's season finale party in New York last year. "We've gotten the most attention from the media, from Matt Weiner, and from the actors on the show," says Roberta. "They have a lot of love for us. It's crazy."
Although it was the look and feel of the show that initially hooked the Lipp sisters, their interest soon went much further. "It's so full of surprises and the surprises are so subtle," says Roberta. "There's not a happy ending. There's not a big hug."
At 44, the same age as Weiner, Roberta Lipp points out, she wasn't even around during the time period the show takes place -- although some aspects are "a little familiarish."
The blog didn't get its start until after the first season finale, but the lack of fresh material didn't slow the sisters down. "We went nine months talking about 13 episodes," she says. "There was nothing on the air."
In addition to following the careers of the actors, awards, schedules, etc., the blog features thoughtful posts on everything from Don Draper's business ethics to recurring symbols.