Who IS January Jones, Anyway?

“Mad Men” is my favorite smart show on television (“America’s Next Top Model” is my favorite stupid show), partially because my loins desire the raw magnetism of Don Draper, but also because I absolutely love the compelling story lines driven by the show’s main actresses. Betty Draper’s character is of particular interest to me and I think she is portrayed so subtly by January Jones. But who the heck is the actress with the porn star-worthy name anyway? Well, for starters, she must have been born to fabulous parents—upon her birth in 1978 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, her parents named her after the character “January Wayne”, from Jacqueline Susann’s “Once Is Not Enough”. That just happens to be one of my favorite trashy reads—I mean, who names their kid after a character in one of the trashiest pill-popping novels of the 1970s? Awesome people, that’s who. Read on for more January Jones info, including the slew of Hollywood stars she’s dated.

LOVES: I was reminded that January’s longest relationship was with Josh Groban (you know, the guy who sang all the TV theme songs at Sunday’s Emmy Awards), whom she dated from 2003 to 2006. He was not her first douche bag. She was one of the first to get her claws in Ashton Kutcher before he became a married man, dating the “That 70s Show” star from 1998 to 2001—the two met when they were both models for Abercrombie & Fitch. Yeah. She also dated Ashton’s “Dude, Where’s My Car?” co-star Seann William Scott after the both starred in “American Wedding” (the third part of the “American Pie” series). She also had a short-lived fling with comedian Jim Carrey. Her current boyfriend is Tommy Alastra, who owns Tommy Alastra Productions, a brand and marketing company that appears to do a lot of work with lame, cheesy L.A. clubs. According to the plethora of photos on Wire Image, Alastra runs with that whole Brody Jenner, Frankie Delgado, Kevin Connolly crew, which scares me a little. But what about her circle of friends?

CREW: While January seems to have a great time hanging out and attending events with her “Mad Men” co-stars, she also seems to be close with Hollywood It girls like Paris Hilton and Haylie Duff. January, you are starting to disappoint me. After starring in some movie called “Loves Enduring Promise”, she and co-star Katherine Heigl hit it off and occasionally make the rounds with their significant others. It is a sad day when I think Katherine Heigl seems like the best friend January has.

CAREER: Kick-starting her career as a model for brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, January started making her mark on the big screen in movies like “Anger Management”, “American Wedding”, “Love Actually”, and “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights”. Before she scored the role of Betty Draper on “Mad Men”, she played Matthew Fox’s wife in “We Are Marshall”. But it’s her portrayal of Betty Draper that’s had critics and fans crying (okay, maybe I have been crying) for an Emmy nomination. In her free time (like during the writer’s strike earlier this year) she designs jewelry. Next up is the film “The Boat That Rocked” alongside serious thespians Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branaugh, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

[Photos: Splash News]