Don Draper, the suave, decadent and fictional lead character from AMC’s show Mad Men, was selected as askmen.com’s Most Influential Man of 2009—beating out Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and President Barack Obama, who finished second and third, respectively. "It’s interesting how drinking, smoking and carousing wins the race today, no offense to President Obama," says Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and American Idol’s Simon Cowell rounded out the Top 5.

Upper crust clothier Brooks Brothers recently unveiled its "Exclusive Mad Men Edition Suit," based on the classic grey number worn by character Don Draper (played by Jon Hamm) in the AMC show. Cost: $998.

QUOTE: "What are we to make of reports that an upcoming episode of the CW’s Gossip Girl—which is set in high school—will feature major characters in a ménage à trois? After all, in Hollywood it would seem, a high schooler isn’t really a high schooler. So it shouldn’t surprise us when scriptwriters feature teenage characters engaging in behaviors heretofore associated primarily with the adult film industry, should it?"

—Melissa Henson, director of communications and public education for the Parents Television Council. Henson also noted, "Television is profoundly influential in the lives of children, especially when it comes to sexual decision making. It has even been described as a ’sexual super-peer,’ signifying television’s power to amplify, many times over, the peer pressure teens are already feeling to become sexually active. Television influences behavior by altering a teen’s perception of how many of their peers are sexually active and how much sexual experience they are expected to have. When television portrays attractive, popular teenage characters as sexually advanced, it sends a powerful message to young viewers that there is an expectation that they, too, should be that advanced; and in fact, there might be something wrong with them if they aren’t."

QUOTE: "We’re all in college now, so we can definitely push the limit with the sexuality, which is fine by me. I sort of make the kiss happen."

—Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester, on how she encouraged her onscreen boyfriend, Chuck Bass (played by Ed Westwick), to kiss another guy in the Oct. 19 episode

The Parents Television Council has just released an in-depth analysis of violence against women on television titled Women in Peril: A Look at TV’s Disturbing New Storyline Trend. The PTC found that while depictions of violence in general on television increased just 2% from 2004 to 2009, violence against women jumped 120% during the same time frame. And though most victims were adults, violence against teen girls on the small screen was up even more dramatically (400%). PTC president Tim Winter said of the findings, "Our new research points to a disturbing trend: By depicting violence against women with increasing frequency, or as a trivial, even humorous matter, the broadcast networks may ultimately be contributing to a desensitized atmosphere in which people view aggression and violence directed at women as normative, even acceptable."

Children’s television viewing is at an eight-year-high, according to the Nielsen Company’s latest statistical parsing of Americans’ TV habits. Kids ages 2 to 5 spend 32 hours a week parked in front of the tube, while 6- to 11-year-olds watch slightly less (28 hours).

Two new policy statements from the American Academy of Pediatrics are encouraging doctors to pay attention to the media habits of the children they treat. According to the AAP council on communications and media, the music, movies, television and video games that children and teens consume can have adverse effects on their behavior. The authors of the statements, which were published in the November issue of Pediatrics, said, "Pediatricians and other child healthcare providers can advocate for a safer media environment for children by encouraging media literacy, more thoughtful and proactive use of media by children and their parents, more responsible portrayal of violence by media producers, and more useful and effective media ratings."

The policy statements focused specifically on the influence of music and how it influences listeners. Electronic music at raves, for instance, has been linked to drug and alcohol use, while metal and rap have been associated with reckless behavior and poor academic performance. Metal has also been connected with increased risk of depression, suicide, delinquency, smoking and behavioral problems. "With the evidence portrayed in these studies," the authors noted, "it is essential for pediatricians and parents to take a stand regarding music lyrics."

It wasn’t so long ago that Miley Cyrus was seen as a positive role model for young people. Now, in a recent poll on AOL’s Just So You Know celebrity gossip page for teens, Miley topped the "Worst Celeb Influence" category, followed by Britney Spears, Kanye West, Vanessa Hudgens and Shia LaBeouf. On the opposite end of the influence spectrum, fellow Disney girl Selena Gomez was voted "Best Celeb Influence," with Taylor Swift, Nick Jonas, Emma Watson and Justin Bieber hot on her heels.

QUOTE: "It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. … It was really hard getting there because I’m on tour, but [Sex and the City is] just something that I really loved. I’ve always really, really loved that show, so for them to invite me on and let me be a part of the film is really cool."

—Miley Cyrus, on her cameo appearance in the next Sex and the City movie

QUOTE: "With the premiere of his movie, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, less than a month away, magazines, websites and TV are blanketed with images of 17-year-old star Taylor Lautner, shirtless and showing off the body he trained for months to perfect for the role. And yet none of the cultural critics who turned Miley’s photos into a full-blown ’scandal’ have said a word about the sexualization of Taylor, who, at 17, is just two years older than Miley was during her "scandal" and is also a minor. So, does Hollywood have a double standard?"

—Yahoo! Movies contributor Lindsay Robertson

QUOTE: "It’s so uncomfortable knowing that so many people are seeing pictures of me shirtless. … It’s weird. It’s kind of embarrassing."

—Taylor Lautner

Paranormal Activity has yet to complete its theatrical run. But according to thewrap.com, it’s already garnered the biggest return on investment of any film … ever. Based on Paranormal Activity’s $65.1 million box office take through Oct. 28, the horror thriller’s return on investment for its meager $15,000 cost (according to The Wrap; other sources have reported $11,000) was a staggering 433,900%. That figure tops the previous ROI champ, 1999’s The Blair Witch Project, which netted a worldwide haul of $248.6 million for just $60,000 in production costs, a 414,233% return. "This will definitely echo around the halls of Viacom in New York," said Paramount vice president Don Harris. "For Viacom, this movie is probably more important than one that does $300 or $400 million." Rounding out the Top 5 on the ROI list are: 1928’s Road to Ruin (99,900%), 1915’s Birth of a Nation (8,345%) and 1982’s ET: The Extraterrestrial (7,451%).