Coo Coo Bananas

A sandwich idea to make blue cheese palatable

2009-04-20T07:12:00.000-07:00

I love most kinds of cheese and I would say the smell of "stinky" cheeses don't really deter me. However, my first inclination would not be to eat, purchase, or make recipes containing blue cheese. I eat blue cheese but it's not really my favorite in terms of the scent and appearance. Well, I recently had to purchase Gorgonzola for a mac and cheese recipe and I had quite a bit leftover. Gorgonzola is a veined Italian blue cheese made from unskimmed cow's milk. It's crumbly in texture like feta but has the classic greenish blue mold coloring of blue cheese. I was trying to figure out what to use the rest of the Gorgonzola on and I decided to make a salad and a sandwich. The salad was fine but the sandwich was soo delicious. The different salty/sweet flavors had this great complexity and really married together well. It's just a sandwich so I don't really have a recipe but if you just use the follow ingredients, I don't see any reason why the sandwich would not come out as anything but delicious.

Gorgonzola, Spinach, & Pear Sandwich

Take some crusty Italian bread, cut in half (center and top/bottom) and hollow out bread in the center to create crusty "boats". Sprinkle with olive oil.
Cut 1-2 pears into long slices approximately 1/4 inch thick (I used Barlett which is a softer pear but you can and prob should use a firmer pear such as Bosc or Anjou)
Spread leaves of fresh, washed spinach on the 2 bottom pieces of bread, layer pear slices on top of the spinach.
On the other side of the bread, fill with lots of Gorgonzola cheese and finely sliced red onions.
Now sprinkle red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar on top of all halves.
Place sandwich halves in a pre-heated oven set at 350 degrees. Bake until bread looks toasty and starts to turn golden and cheese is melted.
Put halves together to make 2 sandwiches and enjoy!

In defense of foie gras

2009-04-17T08:55:00.001-07:00

For all you foie gras lovers out there:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/14/EDJE170HJL.DTL

Geek Love

2009-04-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Have you ever said out loud "I love geeks"? Or perhaps caught yourself making googly eyes at an awkward character in a Judd Apatow movie or tv show (excluding Paul Rudd, he is too classically good looking to be a true geek)? Well, chances are if you've ever worn leggings after 2006 or have ever watched "The OC", then have I got the book for you: geeky dreamboats: a celebration. A perfect way to fuse your ironic nature with your geek crushes. I particularly like how the title of the book is in all lower case letters - it makes it look even more adolescent than if they had just gone with the fake lip print.

http://www.fredflare.com/customer/product.php?productid=4814&cat=103#

Silly T-Shirts

2009-04-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

I was sent a Delia's catalog in the mail recently. I'm going to claim ignorance as to why. Regardless, I browsed said catalog and found this shirt which is ADORABLE. The question I pose to you is this: is it ridiculous for a mid 20 something to wear such a shirt? Is it less acceptable b/c it came from Delia's? Is it too self aware to wear this shirt while eating toast and jam in public?

Now I can eat like Liz Lemon

2009-04-02T13:11:00.001-07:00

I am a huge "30 Rock" fan. I'm also a huge food fan. So when there was an episode where sandwiches played a pivotal role, I was really intrigued. I'm not going to bother explaining the episode for you, you can read about it below but I will say that I always figured the sandwich shop either a) never existed or b) was a real place in Queens that I would never find (b/c I seem to recall the teamsters got the sandwiches from Queens in the context of the episode). Regardless, I was using my Google Reader today and I came upon this gem on "Serious Eats"! The source of the infamous roast beef sandwich with dipping sauce that led Liz to declare that she could have it all while clearly kind of choosing a sandwich over love? Fiore's in Hoboken! And I live in Hoboken! And I once considered going to get a sandwich there! This is truly kismet. I will follow up this posting with an in-depth review of said sandwich but I was just so excited to find this information out after basically giving up all hope of finding out the source of this sandwich.

http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2009/04/the-sandwich-from-30-rock-sandwich-day-episode-fiores-hoboken-new-jersey.html

The only way I like bananas

2009-04-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

Today's Coo Coo-est person award goes to:

2009-01-30T06:54:00.000-08:00

The "fairly young" woman who just gave birth to octuplets.......and already had 6 kids.....and lives at home with her parents. OMFG! Who takes fertility treatments when you already have 6 kids!?!?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090130/ap_on_re_us/octuplets

Hilarious Article

2009-01-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

This article is terrible.... in that it's hilarious and vaguely true.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/01/the_greatest_depression_is_gre.html

Best Sweater Ever

2008-12-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

For those on your Christmas list who have everything, why not get them the coolest sweater on the history of this planet Earth? I'm referring of course to the country club chic animal sweater that T.I. wore this week on SNL. It's hysterical and sexy and any man that can pull off this look deserves props.

http://www.celebrityclothingline.com/celebrity-entrepreneurs/ti-in-akoo-on-snl/

Matt and Al Dancing

2008-08-20T13:23:00.001-07:00

It's no secret that I love the "Today Show." Well the other day, Matt and Al did a rhythmic dancing routine that was quite endearing. I love the mix of serious stories and fluff on "Today." It really makes my mornings go smoothly.

The video had decent choreography and more importantly, it featured a cameo by a ribbon twirling Brian Williams around the 4:52 mark. Enjoy!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26286602#26287132

Olympic athlete of the day

2008-08-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

I was going to write a little ditty about Jonathan Horton and his fantastic, consistent performance yesterday but then I saw this:

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/08/us-mens-gymnast.html

While I was not going to call him the stud of the day, I feel like this gives the man his props. It even applauds Justin Spring.

James Franco: It's Complicated

2008-08-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

"GQ" is a magazine that I often dismiss as men's fashion fluff and a showcase for beefcake covers under the guise of class, but I must say sometimes they write amazing interviews. This current profile of James Franco is particularly fascinating as he is a complex man of many interests and extremely introspective. He's funny yet serious and very driven.

Here were 2 of my favorite bits from the article:

During the show’s run, three of the freaks—Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel—would meet at Segel’s house on Saturday mornings for extra, unofficial rehearsals. “I mean, they weren’t the most rigorous rehearsals,” says Franco. “For the most part we just liked hanging out.” In the end, he says, it was Rogen and Segel who became really good friends. At the time, Segel was dating Linda Cardellini, who was friends with Franco’s on-screen girlfriend, Busy Philipps, who had a problem with Franco. “And so I think Jason took her side and thought I was a jerk,” he says. “I’ll admit I was not a team player. A lot of it, I think, just had to do with being obnoxious when the camera was on someone else. Maybe I’d eat a banana in the background that would take focus away from other actors. I didn’t think about it that way, but now I could say, ‘Look, the scene’s not about me, it’s about them, just chill out, James. Don’t eat a fucking banana.’ ”

In the e-mail, Franco also expresses regret over the things we didn’t have a chance to discuss: “I felt like we didn’t talk about writing or art as much as I would have liked, as those are what take up most of my life now. But if we didn’t it’s because I closed those subjects because I was uncomfortable about this forum as a place to discuss those things. Who wants to hear an actor talk about books or art? No one. I just hope my interest in those areas, and my dedication to them, was apparent. But I know as an actor I’m not supposed to show interest in anything except charities and the environment. I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m supposed to show interest in. (By the way, we didn’t talk about the work I do with orphans, but that’s OK. Maybe the next article.)” He closes with the words “I am just rambling. Thanks.”

Here is the full article:
http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7397

Olympic Fever: Catch it!

2008-08-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

I'm simply mad about the Olympics. It has consumed my life already and it's only day 3. It's even more thrilling than I remember. The opening ceremony was spectacular. The boxes as waves, characters, and flowers were pretty amazing and even moreso when it was revealed that it was controlled by people! The Chinese really know how to turn it out. Their emphasis on the collective really came in handy during the choreography for the opening ceremony.

This year, I find that I'm watching all the events. Usually I favor swimming, gymnastics, and the key track and field events, but now I'm watching synchronized diving and even volleyball as well (not just women's beach but also the less glamorous indoor team volleyball). Granted NBC is really stretching with some of their human interest stories this year (the French swimmer who fell in love with the Italian swimmer who now dates a competitive female Italian swimmer, Michael Phelps had ADHD, Natalie Coughlin loves to shop at Farmer's Markets). But for every story that sounds like a Facebook profile, there are some good ones (the 33 year old gymnast formerly of the Soviet Union who went to Germany because she need healthcare for her son who had leukemia). And last night's 4X100 freestyle relay was out of this world. I became so enraptured and excited that I almost screamed out loud. I could not believe the way Jason Lezak passed France at the end. It was an incredible nail biter! Although this almost didn't happen thanks to the lackluster efforts of Cullen Jones. Ugh, swim faster dude! Even Garrett Weber-Gale did better than you and he's a rookie.

Below are some more Olympic related musings and links.

Olympic Highlights:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0808_HD_OC_RC_CE005

Michael Phelps: Hot or Not? This is actually a pressing topic. As many have noted, Michael Phelps has a hot body. That is an undisputed fact. However, the face leads to debate. Some think it's adorable goofy. Some think it's just goofy. Some hate the teeth. Some think he looks awkward out of the water. Well, cast your vote here and decide.
http://popsugar.com/1854039

My pick for "Most likely to replace Tom Dolan in my heart" award goes to:
Ryan Lochte (USA-swimming)
http://www.google.com/search?q=ryan+lochte&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
http://ladiesdotdotdot.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/hump-day-hottie-ryan-lochte/
-He's attractive, laid back, a great swimmer, and is only 2 years younger than me. Granted he may not be as successful in attaining golds but he's on my radar.

My pick for least appealing Olympian goes to:

Bridget Sloan (USA-gymnastics)
-She stumbled on the floor exercise when all scores were going to count for the qualifier. She has eyes that clearly indicate she cannot handle pressure and has low self-esteem. For someone so "consistent" and "solid", I expected more.

Honorable mention for being punished for being young, attractive and famous by the Chinese government:
Guo Jingjing (China-synchronized diving)

Olympic rant:
I am annoyed at George W. Bush's presence at the games. He can claim it's to foster a peaceful relationship with China, but I think he just wants to hang out. And I would bet money he wasn't whispering with Putin on Friday about what was going on between Russia and Georgia but rather it was focused on "Hey, wow didja see those lights?" Bush - you suck worse than Edwards!

John Edwards=major disappointment

2008-08-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

John Edwards you suck! When the news first broke on Friday (and oddly enough it broke for me while watching "Entertainment Tonight"), I was shocked. I had heard the rumors and the "National Enquirer" allegations of Edwards fathering a love child, but I dismissed them. After all, his love with Elizabeth was solid (They still go to Wendy's for their anniversary! He thinks she's sexy!) and the "National Enquirer" is a tabloid. But to hear him confess to infidelity after he's gone on and on about family values and while Elizabeth has incurable cancer is so unforgivable. His political career is toast. I don't understand why he confessed. No one was paying attention to this story but the tabloids. He could have ignored the story until perhaps it went away and who knows, he might have ended up with a cabinet position. But now that he's public with the affair, he's lost all his credibility and the respect of a lot of Americans.

It's a good thing the Olympic opening ceremony was the same day because otherwise I would have been so distraught I wouldn't have been able to snap out of my funk. In conclusion, John Edwards as a man: D and John Edwards work with poverty and universal healthcare: B+.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/08/edwards-admits-sexual-aff_n_117780.html

Will Kill for Fried Chicken

2008-08-07T06:43:00.001-07:00

One of the Yahoo! news stories today involved a man who pleaded guilty to murder in exchange for fried chicken, calzones, and pizza. Apparently, this man was so sick of jail food that he was willing to go to prison with only a chance at parole after 30 years just for some outside food. As crazy as this story is, I'm more surprised at the fact that this man is from NYC which has an overabundance of quality, diverse cuisine and he sells himself out for KFC and Popeye's in Oregon. If I were going to make such a silly legal arrangement, I would at least negotiate for some foie gras, oysters, lobster, etc. - you know food that can't be found on a dollar menu. And I would insist that Chef Eric Ripert cook the food personally for me. And then have tea with me. And then whisper sweet nothings in my ear with his French accent.

I mean how bad was the food in prison? Even if it was Oliver Twist style gruel, as long as it didn't have pins in it, I wouldn't confess to murder over some bad food. Unless it was gruel with spam in it. That would prob make me confess. Maybe this criminal was listening to Nas's "Fried Chicken" song on a loop in jail and he felt the craving for "fried chicken, fly vixen, give me heart disease but I need you in my kitchen." Damn, that's a good song.

Here's the article on the criminal:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080807/ap_on_re_us/ice_cream_killer

Nas's "Fried Chicken":

http://www.amazon.com/Nas/dp/B001A5074S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1218117382&sr=1-1

Blueberry Boy Bait

2008-08-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you who like old school, country style simple desserts, you are going to love this one. I first had it at my friend’s farm house in PA. When his mom said it was called “Blueberry Boy Bait”, my first reaction was “blueberry boy what?” But essentially, the story was that if you bake this blueberry cake, the boys will come running. Now, we live in modern times so I’m not sure if this is really as potent for boy baiting purposes as it once was in Amish country but it’s certainly a crowd pleaser. The cake is moist and rich and a cross between a coffee cake and a dessert cake. My friend’s mom said she didn’t understand how to email her recipe, so I used a recipe that I found off of cookscountry.com and then just tweaked it to my desires (more blueberries, coffee cake topping). I haven’t actually baked this with the coffee crumb topping (I stuck closely to the recipe the first time) but I’m assuming these proportions will work.

Blueberry Boy Bait

Serves 12 with small pieces

*Cake*
2	cups all-purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon
1	tablespoon baking powder
1	teaspoon table salt
16	tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4	cup packed light brown sugar
1/2	cup granulated sugar
3	large eggs
1	cup whole milk
1/2	heaping cup blueberries , must be fresh
*Topping*
3/4	cup blueberries , must be fresh
1/4	cup granulated sugar
1/2	teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4	cup flour
1/3	cup butter

1. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

2. Whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining 1 teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.

3. For the topping: Scatter blueberries over top of batter. Combine sugar, cinnamon, flour, and butter in a small bowl and blend with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle crumb mixture over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes (depending on your oven’s strength). Cool in pan 20-30 minutes, then cut and serve. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)

1-2-3-4...

2008-08-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

Feist performed a version of her hit song 1234 on "Sesame Street" and it's pretty darn adorable. And the song works very well from a kid's educational perspective even though the counting stalls at 4 and children should really be aware of all the numbers that come after 4.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ9WiuJPnNA

Olympic Fever

2008-08-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

So the Olympics are coming up and I was struck by one thought - the thought that pops into my head every year since 2000: what is Tom Dolan up to? Now for the uneducated, Tom Dolan is an amazing Olympic swimmer who went to the University of Michigan. He won gold in 1996 in the 400 meter and then won gold again in 2000 in the 400 meter and a silver medal in the 200 meter. He broke many records and drew a lot of attention due to his tall lanky frame, University of Michigan hip tattoo and the fact that he battled asthma, chronic fatigue, and lung viruses and still persevered. Basically, he was my childhood Olympic crush and I loved him. Sure other famous Olympic swimmers with big personalities have come and gone since (Gary Hall Jr, Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps) but no one captured my loyalty like Tom Dolan. So I decided to google Tom Dolan to see what he is up to and learned the following things (assuming these links had correct up-to-date information):

-He is 6'6" tall and at his heyday had 3% body fat.
-He worked as a sales trader at an investment bank in DC after college.
-He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) in2006.
-He is working with Carlile Swimming in Australia to help bring their swim school model to the US.
-I still love Tom Dolan.

So for all the Tom Dolan fans out there, feel free to reminisce about our golden boy and be comforted by the fact that it sounds like he is doing well and isn't some drug addict who can't hold onto a steady job and tries to pick up women at a bar with the line "hey, I was once on a Wheaties box."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Dolan

http://sports.jrank.org/pages/1221/Dolan-Tom-Olympic-Champion.html

http://bigten.cstv.com/sports/m-swim/spec-rel/072408aaa.html

http://www.swimnews.com/News/displayStory.jhtml?id=5879

Carebears Placed on Nutrasystem, Given volume express mascara

2008-06-11T10:42:00.000-07:00

So my sissy sent me the following article which discusses how beloved childhood characters from the past are being given up-to-date, modern makeovers to make them more relevant for children today. In addition to Strawberry Shortcake's tween makeover and giving the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles steroids, American Greetings will soon be creating Carebears with less belly fat and longer eyelashes. Admittedly, Strawberry Shortcake looks outdated (I think she evens wears a pinafore). However, the Carebears are bears and do need fat in order to hibernate in the winter so I think it would be fine for them to stay lovably chubby. Also, who cares about a bear's eyelashes? No one looks at Knut, the famed German polar bear and goes "aww, look at those lashes!" My one friend joked that with this trend, soon we will see that "the Glow Worms have switched to environmentally friendly LED lights"!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/business/media/11cartoons.html?ex=1213848000&en=71fdb51074cf6500&ei=5070&emc=eta1

One of the highlights of the article included this description of a past makeover that fell flat on its face: Gay Ken.

Reinventing these beloved characters without inflicting indelible damage is one of the entertainment industry’s trickiest maneuvers. Go too far, as Mattel did in 1993 when it gave Ken a purple mesh T-shirt, a pierced ear and the name “Earring Magic Ken,” and it can set off a brand crisis on a global scale.

This is awesome. I need to find and purchase this doll. It's nice to know that Mattel interpreted that look to be trendy in 1993. And here I thought it was more grunge with plaid shirts and ripped jeans.

My Worst Nightmare

2008-06-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

The "New York Times" recently featured a couple who are never more than 15 feet apart from each other. They eat off the same plate, read the same books, sleep in the same quarters with no electricity or running water, and they even breathe in the same pattern. When one has to go to the bathroom, the other waits outside. Or in this case, when Christine McNally has to pee in the woods, Michael Roach turns away and steps aside far enough to be away from the stream of urine. This is a celibate partnership and high level Buddhist practice to help you get in touch with your emotions and faults, etc. But frankly, this just conjures up nightmares to me. Having someone (even if it's a loved one) follow you around all day long? No privacy whatsoever? That is scarier thought than being trapped in solitary in prison.

Here's the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/15/garden/15buddhists.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Here's a more realistic portrayal of what happens when regular folks attempt this:

http://www.slate.com/id/2192282/?GT1=38001

TV Guide Shocker Indeed

2008-05-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

TV Guide just released some shocking news and it's not even about a television show. TV Guide's official scoop-master/ resident egomaniac, Michael Ausiello is leaving to go work for Entertainment Weekly. WTF!!???!!

I'm distressed somewhat by this news. I used to be a big fan of Ausiello. I laughed at his jokes, read his spoilers religiously, contemplated sending him Snapple, and once went to a TV Guide holiday party with the hopes that I might run into the man. His job was a dream job to me, his loves (Lauren Graham, etc) were my loves. But somewhere along the line, the love went sour. I would probably pinpoint it to about 1, 1 1/2 years ago when I found myself truly tiring of his schtick. His columns seemed to revolve more around praise and insults directed at him rather than the TV show gossip that I was looking for. If you only have so much space to answer questions, why would you clog up essential room with comments from readers declaring their affection for this pseudo-celebrity. In fact, it seems like Michael Ausiello has been working very hard recently to cultivate this image of himself as a legitimate celebrity (pushing for votes for sexiest vegetarian and so on). Of course, there are famous writers and I certainly even have my favorite magazine writers, but Ausiello was just so shameless and self-indulgent that he crossed over from lovable minx to annoying pixie in a very short span of time. And now to hear that he is moving over to my favorite entertainment magazine on the planet? Oh, it's just dreadful. Perhaps EW will reign in the ego as their focus is more on the material and digging deeper into entertainment stories rather than throwing in a lot of silly jokes and cheap spoilers to make up for substance. All I can say is, Michael Ausiello, you are no Dalton Ross. You are no Ken Tucker. And you sure as hell are no Mark Harris. However, you are still superior to Scott Brown (god he annoys me). So reign in your Smurf love and your ego stroking and stick to entertaining readers with substance and not fluff. I'm hoping that this is a great growth opportunity and will allow you to put more journalistic ambition into your articles. However, if I start reading about your partner's stationary line in the pages of EW, I will seriously consider cancelling my subscription.

Article:

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Ausiello-Exit-Shocker/800040484

MTV Guide has a new frenemy: Michael Ausiello is joining Entertainment Weekly, after eight fantastic years as our resident scooper. "Michael has been a great reporter and a great friend," says TVGuide.com editor-in-chief Christy Tanner. "We wish him the best, and promise that we won’t miss a beat delivering all the great scoop you’re used to on TVGuide.com."

Hello Kitty-chan! Kawaii!!

2008-05-20T13:59:00.002-07:00

I was informed by a reliable source that Hello Kitty was just named Japan's tourism ambassador (other goodwill ambassadors include PUFFY AMIYUMI AHHH!!!!!). This is pretty adorable as is the picture in the article even if I do prefer my Kitty to be tiny rather than life sized. But why does Hello Kitty reside in London? I feel like London is too stuffy for this feisty feline.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080519/ap_on_fe_st/japan_hello_kitty

2008-05-20T13:59:00.001-07:00

Miley Cyrus Picturegate 2008

2008-04-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Everyone is freaking out over Miley Cyrus's "racy" pictures, most recently in a "Vanity Fair" spread. I've seen a couple of the shots and the main cover is not bad in my opinion. OMG news at 11, Miley Cyrus has a back! The more offensive picture is Miley with her daddy, achy breaky heart and mullet aficionado Billy Ray. Miley is showing midriff and draped across her dad and the overall effect is creepy and vaguely sexual. I don't care if you want to lie on your teenage boyfriend's lap or share candy with your slutty looking friend or expose your lime green bra to the public Miley. But a little bit of career advice for you: don't pose in pictures where you look like lovers with your father!!! It weirds people out!

If for some reason, you are really interested in Miley's photo shoot with "Vanity Fair," here is a slideshow.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/06/miley_slideshow200806

9021-Ho: Shenae Grimes join the 90210 spin-off

2008-04-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

I kid, I kid. I'm a huge "Degrassi: The Next Generation" fan. How is it that Canadians go there so much better than the rest of us?

It was just announced that Shenae Grimes of Degrassi will be joining the 90210 spin-off playing Lori Loughlin's (Aunt Becky) wholesome teenage daughter who moves to Beverly Hills. It was the role that was rumored to belong to Hilary Duff and is also probably the Brenda Walsh role back when Aaron Spelling cared about Brenda being remotely likable.

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Ausiello-Scoop-Shenae/800038498

For those of you unfamiliar with the genius that is Degrassi, Shenae (you gotta love a white girl named Shenae!) plays/played Darcy, the super-religious cheerleader who gets herself into sticky situations. Now these sticky situations go beyond finding "the perfect cheer." Our girl Darcy took racy pictures and posted them online and some creepy old dude came to her house. Then she went on a ski trip where she got drugged, raped, and may have gotten an STD? She hid what happened from mostly everyone and also attempted suicide (or at least considered it). She then tried to hit on her teacher who she had confided the truth about her situation to, then subsequently got him suspended when he tried to get her to talk to her parents about her issues. In a rage, she chopped off a clump of her hair. Eventually, she cleared the teacher but I'm not sure if she ever told her parents the truth (I missed quite a few episodes the last season). Darcy is not my favorite Degrassi character, but I think Shenae is pretty and a decent actress so this is a good opportunity for her. She resembles Lori Loughlin and I think I'd rather see break through to the masses in the U.S. than that annoying chubby girl who plays Paige on Degrassi (who was featured in that Antonio Banderas dance movie). I still won't watch the 90210 spin-off though because I'm really way too old to watch such drivel. As is, I can only comfort myself with the knowledge that I am Degrassi fan because it's "foreign". And umm, I only watch "Gossip Girl" for the scenes of NYC.

Mentiroso Mentiroso Pantalones en Fuego?

2008-04-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

So if you are like me, you have probably read a few Augusten Burroughs "memoirs." I started out with "Dry" one summer because the Monmouth County library was out of my first choice, the far more famous, career making book "Running with Scissors." "Dry" was fine but I was always peeved at the fact that in reviews or book blurbs, people kept comparing Burroughs to David Sedaris. Let's be frank, that is outrageous. Burroughs is nowhere near as funny or clever or charming as David Sedaris (plus I think it's pretty much clear in Sedaris's work that he is a flagrant exaggerator). "Dry" revolved around Burroughs' plummet into the bowels of addiction with his alcoholism tanking his lucrative advertising career as well as his ability to entertain in the home (I seem to recall his apartment was flooded with red wine bottles and he went to a meeting with fancy jewelry company clients with the scent of booze coming out of his pores. Cue Summer Roberts "umm ew"). "Dry" had a few amusing observations and passages, but overall was just a decent read. There is something about Burroughs' style and stories that seem very manufactured and false. This was further confirmed when I finally read "Running with Scissors." I didn't get the hype with this book. It had more humor than "Dry" but even more so I felt somewhat deceived. Burroughs is so detailed and precise and his life is so unbelievable that.......I just don't believe it. Of course, you need to take every memoir with a grain of salt. Details are fudged, memory fails, stories are subject to your interpretation of events. No one goes around with a video camera and a tape recorder 24/7 in the hopes of one day writing a precise memoir. However, with all the recent attention heaped upon James Frey and Margaret Seltzer, people are scrutinizing memoirs and viewing them with more distrust than ever before. These are sort of thorny issues. What is the line between exaggeration and misrepresentation of facts? Is it when living people are falsely portrayed? Is it mixing up names and dates and places?

When I heard that Burroughs is coming out with a new book focused on his harsh and oftentimes difficult relationship with his absentee father, I felt these old feelings of annoyance rise to the surface once again. While before, I was not too keen on his style and not that interested in anything he had to say about his life, I now felt as though I wanted to see him exposed. Sure, there was that "Vanity Fair" expose in 2007 that shed light on the lawsuit brought against Burroughs by the family that is featured in "Running with Scissors", but I needed more. Burroughs denies fictionalizing or sensationalizing his memoirs despite the fact that he must now call them "books". These denials are what perturb me. Yesterday, NYMag arrived and the headline said something to effect of "Augusten Burroughs get the Polygraph Treatment". Now, yes maybe I'm too literal a person, but I thought for a minute the man was finally undergoing a polygraph test. I'm not a proponent of the polygraph typically. There is a reason why results are inadmissible in court and you can certainly pass/fail questions due to nerves or skill, so they aren't scientifically foolproof. However, I thought it would be very juicy indeed to pin Burroughs down. Unfortunately, it's just the writer of the article's internal polygraph that fluctuates throughout the article. Blah! Can anyone make this man take a polygraph?!? Can we get some crossover promotion with St. Martin's Press and "Moment of Truth"?

What do you all think about Augusten Burroughs? Are you guys fans? Do you think he's a liar? Does it matter?

Sweet Valley High: Version 2.0

2008-03-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

So I read today that Random House is updating the classic teen girl series "Sweet Valley High." Admission: I loved loved loved the SVH books when I was growing up. I started reading them when I was about 7 or 8 and I kept reading them embarrassingly until I was probably 17 years old (relax people, I also read real books too). I like the idea of twins who were so close yet different: scheming Jessica and goody two shoes Elizabeth. Even though they had different interests and personalities, they were always there to help each other out and pretend to be the other one in a crisis. It was like that Amy Adams/Kristen Wiig SNL skit except the Wakefield's schemes actually worked.... and one of the twins didn't get fat in high school. They had a lot of frivolous stories (Jessica gives the family food poisoning when she pries open shellfish! Someone starts a rumor in the slam books! Jessica gets sabotaged at a beauty pagent!) but some were serious (Deaf Regina Morrow dying of a drug overdose her first time trying coke.). So even though they were not necessarily "quality" books for children, I have fond memories of them.

Now for those of you who aren't familiar with the Wakefield twins, these are their distinguishing characteristics.

Jessica-5'6", dimple on cheek, CA tan, "perfect size 6", wears gold laverie necklace which was a gift from her parents, drives a red fiat, not great in school, loves to perform, is boy crazy, best friend is Lila Fowler

Elizabeth-5'6", dimple on cheek, CA tan, "perfect size 6", wears gold laverie necklace which was a gift from her parents, drives a red fiat, smart and serious, writes for the school paper, boyfriend is Todd Wilkins (with a brief stint with Jeffrey...French was it?), best friend is Enid "I used to be wild but now I'm a bore" last name unimportant

Now, please note the "perfect size 6" in quotation marks. That isn't my opinion, it was the writers of SVH and the time period I suppose. But with this new update (you can't even call it a re imagining b/c it sounds like the details changed are minor and silly), the twins are now a "perfect size 4" and drive a jeep and have a blog.

Come on! Are you telling me some 14 yr old girl who picks up a SVH book today and reads the words Fiat, suddenly says, "This book is like sooo unrealistic. Who drives a Fiat anymore? I need to get me some 'Gossip Girls' books instead. They have monkeys and bisexuality!"

Plus why is Levin Rambin the cover girl? She plays twins on AMC and now she is portraying the Sweet Valley twins? Couldn't they hire real twins? Wouldn't that save time and photoshop edits? I like Levin the actress actually and she is a legitimate teen but I feel like she's an odd choice to be Elizabeth and Jessica.

Here is the article that caught my eye:

http://gawker.com/5004617/random-house-proudly-promoting-eating-d

The comments are hilarious though:

While we're at it, can we get Social Services to help The Boxcar Children?

since she now works on the school website and not the school newspaper will SVH be available in a podcast or for download online??

In the 2008 version, The Baby-Sitters Club becomes a covert name for a high-priced prostitution ring, including members "Kristy," "Mallory," "Stacy" and sweet "Mary Anne."

-Coo coo note: I have always imagined a Baby-Sitters Club update to be more like this: Kristy goes the "L Word" route, Claudia is hiding marijuana in her hollowed out Nancy Drew book, Mallory's mother commits suicide after having 10 children and leave Mallory to raise them, Stacy not only is diabetic but also has ADD, Dawn embarks on a torrid affair with a young teacher, and Mary Anne finds out her beloved dead mother was having an affair with Kristy's dad around the time she was born.

Note: Do not, I repeat do not confuse "Sweet Valley High" with "Sweet Valley Twins." Twins is based on their lives in middle school which were even too boring for me when I was in elementary school. I thought the Unicorn Club was cheesy and I wanted the books to be more scandalous, thus my love of SVH. Don't even get me started on "Sweet Valley Kids" when they were in second grade.

Robert Downey Jr. in blackface?

2008-03-05T07:19:00.000-08:00

And it actually doesn't sound horribly offense!

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20182058,00.html

Discuss.

Arrrrgg Men!

2008-03-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

Due to illnesss and work load, Coo Coo has been busy. No one is immune from the flu/bronchitis. However, we were compelled to speak out on a very important matter. No, not the primary results but tonight's "Life of Ryan" episode. Ryan has been bitching about finding a girlfriend for 2 years. He finally finds one and Kayla seems like a sweet girl (we finally got over the bleached blonde hair and heavy eyeliner). But tonight, Ryan turns 18 and suddenly has no time for a girlfriend. Admittedly, he probably doesn't as he is busy with his career and friends and so on. However, we really believed in his quest for love and he just came across as such a ...... a.......man tonight. ARRGG! Kayla just bought him a $250 dollar Gucci wallet for Christmas (did Ryan google the price or did Kayla leave the price tag on?), wanted to meet his dad, and helped plan his surprise birthday party. Okay, maybe our gal came on a bit strong with all the talk about feelings and insisting on meeting the parents, but still, she was such a nice girl and really liked him. It made us want to throw a book at Ryan's Redbull clad head (enough with product placement by the way, it's just becoming too in your face). So Coo Coo Bananas is now on team Kayla. We encourage her to engage in other girl relationship cliches now that they have broken up. Cut your hair short! Eat a pint of ice cream! Call Ryan's home phone and hang up! Throw cans of Red Bull in Ryan's yard! Start dating Tony! Girl power!

Election '08

2008-02-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

Questions to ponder while Coo Coo does work:

1) Does Obama not pay enough attention to Hispanic voters? Will this be his downfall?

2) What is the deal with American Samoa?

3) Should Obama agree to weekly debates with Hillary? Even though it's partly b/c Hil needs the publicity b/c she doesn't have as much money as Obama?

4) Why does John McCain's wife feel so cold to me? And no, it's not the prescription drug addiction.

5) Does Hillary own a closet full of smart red pantsuits much like Superman or Spiderman has a closet full of costumes?

6) Why doesn't anyone concentrate on Asian voters? Do we not vote? Or we inconsequential?

7) Why is Ron Paul still in this race? More importantly, why was one man campaigning for himself outside the NJ Path station last night? Did he lose a bet?

I love this site

2008-02-05T14:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.someecards.com/

These cards have quaint, old-fashioned imagery and then just ridiculous sayings on them.

Happy Super Fat Tuesday!

2008-02-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

Last night, the late night shows were on fire. First, Hillary was on Letterman (but not Eli, he was stuck in the airport) and she was super charming. She was warm, benevolent, glowing, and graceful. This is the Hillary we have been waiting for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2vMhXOUEtI

Then, Conan took his feud with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to the next level by having a knock down, drag out fight about who "made" Mike Huckabee. It was complete with broken bottles, falling down stairs, and a special video appearance by Mike Huckabee.

Apparently, it was part of a whole night event which I only caught the tail end of. Here are some videos and commentary on it.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/02/05/the-obrien-vs-stewart-vs-colbert-three-show-throwdown-video/

http://www.nbc.com/Late_Night_with_Conan_O'Brien/video/episodes.shtml

Moo-riah

2008-02-05T10:32:00.000-08:00

First of all, I don't think Mariah Carey is fat at all. But I do think her press nickname is funny. Mariah makes me laugh with her diva antics and the way she exercises in high heels and is dripping in diamonds at all times even when skiing. I read this today about how Mariah doesn't want to get ugly for her current movie role b/c she is insecure about her appearance. Now this is the role that Janet Jackson supposedly got fat for. And I always wondered what that was supposed to mean. Think about it: Janet Jackson gained like 60 lbs for a movie role and then they just gave it to Mimi? And all they want Mariah to do is wear a fake nose and some extra hair and she won't budge? This is very fishy. Why would Janet need to gain the weight and not Mariah? Mariah should take her cues from Al Lambert from "Step by Step" (Christine Lakin I think?) who is the "Nottie" in Paris Hilton's new straight to DVD to trash film "The Hottie and the Nottie." I mean they had to make her look REALLY bad to try to get Paris to look decent.

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/02/05/2008-02-05_mariah_careys_role_in_tennessee_it_could.html

What is Obama's health care plan?

2008-02-04T08:06:00.001-08:00

Hillary's comments have me concerned. What exactly is Obama's stance on universal healthcare? Who knows? Should I be regretting my primary vote already?

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/clinton-lays-out-differences-with-obama/

October Road-Defender of the Homely

2008-02-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

I was reading "Ask Matt" on TVguide.com this morning and came upon this question which was quite humorous. I have bolded my favorite part.

Question: I agree with you that October Road is poorly written. No one is going to deny that. But did Grey's Anatomy ever get knocked for its bomb fiascos and endless love triangles? While people do complain about Grey's, it can't even compare to the amount of grief given to October Road, which may have poor writing, but which portrays homeliness and neighborly feeling in a remarkably warm light. The characters may be plain, but they're your best friends from high school. Whereas McSteamy is just plain Superman with an addiction to sex (like we've never heard that one before). I personally believe that all TV has its cheese. Leave the edge and the realism to full feature films.— Laura

Now, Matt's answer is irrelevant. But basically, he says "October Road" sucks and is on the low end of guilty pleasure.

But who tries to defend a show by admitting it's written poorly but is a positive example b/c it employs homely actors? Lol, I mean that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. That's like saying "Rock of Love" is trashy and low class but at least provides a showcase for extremely unattractive and cheap women. Finally, an advocate for French trannies everywhere!! And also, if I were Laura Preppon, that dude from "One Tree Hill"and that Uma Thurman movie, and that Stults guy from "7th Heaven" (these guys are not even worth imdb-ing their names for confirmation), I would be insulted. I realize that Laura is not referring to them as the homely ones but still, they are the stars of this haven for the homely.

Note: Is it possible that she means "homey-ness" instead (or whatever is the accurate version of that word). Is she simply trying to say that "October Road" makes you feel cozy and warm and keeps it real? Is this a case of the misplaced "l"?

Joyce Chen-What are you doing?

2008-02-01T09:25:00.000-08:00

I was perusing the A&P ads today during work deciding what groceries to purchase this week. And I stumbled upon this item on your left.

"Joyce Chen Ravioli"?!!?? What??!! Shouldn't it be "Joyce Chen Dumplings"? I can't really see the picture too well but based on the fillings which consist of either chicken & vegetables or pork & vegetables, I would assume this item is more akin to dumplings than ravioli. Plus I don't think a woman with the name of "Joyce Chen" would be touting her ravioli skills to America. Initially, I felt annoyed. I think the American public is aware of what dumplings are and there's no need to compare it to a more popular mainstream dish that people are familiar with. These aren't "Chinese Tamales" here (which frankly are really difficult to explain so I'm not even going to try). So I thought to myself, let me look up this Joyce Chen person.

Apparently, she was a Chinese chef, restauranteur, and entrepeneur. She had restaurants, cookbooks, and sold other products under her name. Chen is credited with popularizing the Mandarin style of Chinese cooking in the U.S. Her focus was making Chinese food accessible to the American public. She actually called dumplings or potstickers "ravioli" because her first restaurant was in a predominantly Italian area. Also, please keep in mind that Chen was alive from 1917-1994 so these were different times when she was starting out. Apparently, Chinese restaurants in the greater Boston, MA area still call dumplings "Peking Ravioli" or "ravs". So now that I know the history, I can accept the usage of ravioli for dumplings. It's clearly part of the Joyce Chen legecy and a nod to her history. However, I really hope people in Boston aren't really saying "ravs" still because that type of colloquialism would probably annoy me if I heard it.

Is this not the most gorgeous woman?

2008-01-30T11:17:00.001-08:00

I love Cate Blanchett. So classy, so regal, so talented!

Photo courtesy of EW-Alan Gelati/Corbis Outline.

Kanye West's Tour

2008-01-30T07:08:00.000-08:00

This looks awesome!

Bye bye John

2008-01-30T06:50:00.001-08:00

"In this race where you've got an African American, a woman, and......uh......John...." (laughter)
~Barack Obama

Well we can take out John Edwards now it looks like:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080130/ap_on_el_pr/edwards

Oprah vs Angelou

2008-01-29T09:17:00.000-08:00

Coo Coo has been silent these past few days out of respect for Heath Ledger and will not comment on his death until the autopsy is conclusive.

But we saw this tidbit today and had to resurface for commentary.

Adding more confusion to Election '08, Maya Angelous has come out in support of Hillary. Angelous said, “I know what kind of president Hillary Clinton will be because I know who she is. Hillary Clinton has always been a strong woman and a passionate protector of families. For 35 years, that’s exactly what she has been doing. Each generation of African Americans stands on the shoulders of those who came before. Today, the challenges facing us threaten the dreams we have had for our children. We need a president with the experience and strength to meet those challenges. I am inspired by Hillary Clinton’s commitment and courage — a daughter, a wife, a mother — my girl.”

My question is this, were there heated debates at dinner parties between Oprah and Maya? After all, Mama O loves Maya Angelous and vice versa. Will this cause a rift in an otherwise otherworldly spirtual connection? Where does Gayle King stand in all this? Don't tell me she's for Edwards?!?

Tom Brady: Injured?

2008-01-22T13:14:00.000-08:00

Tom Brady was spotted wearing a walking boot and limping the other night in NYC. Superfans and reporters are fretting over the injury. Brady says he'll still be in the Super Bowl and I could care less about the Patriots. I'd rather speculate over how he got the injury. My theory: Giselle Bunchen beats him! I smell abusive relationship people!

The evidence:

Brady was spotted carrying some lovely flowers for Giselle on the night in question. I don't buy that he was just being sweet. The man is an absentee father, he's not sweet. Perhaps they were make up flowers so her temper would cool or flowers to show he's whipped both literally and figuratively?

He wore the walking boot to Butter. Who wears such a thing to a place where there is dancing? He should be staying home and resting his injury. Unless his dominating partner demanded he go out partying and dancing or she'll break the ankle for real this time!!!

I'm kidding of course. Giselle seems like a very nice lady and would probably never beat a big, strong and tough man like Tom Brady... unless he really deserved it.

Fred Thompson drops out, his 3 fans mourn

2008-01-22T12:55:00.001-08:00

Fred Thompson has taken his name out of the ring for the Republican presidential race. He was half assing his campaign all along so I'm not even sure what his point was. He can comfort himself knowing that he may be able to guest star on future Law & Order episodes and still go home to his hot wife.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080122/ap_on_el_pr/thompson

Age Inappropriate Crushes

2008-01-17T07:52:00.000-08:00

I think now and then everyone gets them. It of course isn't so bad if you are 21 and like a 17 year old celebrity but it veers into uncomfortable territory the older you get. These crushes can vary between just wanting to hang out with the person to saying "If I was that age, I would date so and so" to the downright creepy love/lust that border on pedophile alert (I'm talking to you Hayden Panettiere fans). I will say right now my age inappropriate crushes are probably more the "If I were younger..." variety. With that, I present you with my age inappropriate crush, Ryan Sheckler. Ryan stars on the show "Life of Ryan" on MTV and he's a professional skate boarder. The kid is really down to earth for someone so famous and he seems like a genuinely nice and responsible 17 year old. Which is downright refreshing to see on a network like MTV.

Pros:

-He can afford to buy his own house at 17 (but ended up not to spend time with his brothers).

-He seems genuinely kind and considerate.

-He is loyal to his friends.

-He is family oriented. Much of his show revolves around Ryan trying to be there for his little brothers and his divorced parents.

-He doesn't want to date women who are only interested in him b/c he's famous.

-He's very driven and talented at what he does.

-He has a new shorter haircut that is quite fetching.

-Skate boarders are cool.

-He cries on national television without shame.

Cons:

-He has a penchant for cheap looking blondes who have just broken up with their boyfriends.

-He wears really big diamond studs on his ears.

A is for Apple and Adorable

2008-01-16T09:22:00.000-08:00

Little Apple Martin is getting really cute! Photo courtesy of X17Online.com.

Baby McConaughey

2008-01-16T08:59:00.001-08:00

Matthew McConaughey is having a baby with his (24 year old model!) girlfriend, Camila Alves. She's about three months along.

Does anyone else think the McConaughey offspring will be running around naked in the back yard, fertilizing the lawn?

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=292957&GT1=7701

There Will Be Blood (Spoilerish)

2008-01-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

Who thinks Paul and Eli are the same person despite references in the movie to Paul being a separate brother and PTA's casting of 2 different actors? Anyone? I am just not convinced that Paul and Eli are two different people.

Movie adaptation of "The Road"

2008-01-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

Charlize Theron will be joining Viggo Mortensen in the movie adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road." I really don't like the idea of making a movie out of the book. I think the book is beautiful and sparse and I don't want to see it translated onto the screen. And how much are they going to show? Are they going to show dead baby carcass roasted on a spit? Or maybe a dirty, skinny naked boy bathing for the first time in weeks? I don't know; this idea vexes me.

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20171763,00.html

The plague has returned!

2008-01-15T06:36:00.001-08:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080115/sc_nm/plague_threat_dc

French Scandal

2008-01-15T06:36:00.000-08:00

French President Nicolas Sarkozy supposedly married model/singer Carla Bruni last week. This has caused quite a stir in France where they find such behavior unbecoming of a president and find Carla Bruni to be distasteful. Carla has been with famous men such as Kevin Coster, Donald Trump, and Mick Jagger. She was also with this French guy and then had an affair with his married son. They ultimately had a baby together. Bruni has also been quoted saying that she's not into monogamy. She seems like quite a... catch. Good luck with that Sarkozy, be sure to keep her away from your sons Pierre and Jean! At least Bruni seems less crazy than other models of a certain age such as Janice Dickenson.

You know your workplace has become too casual when...

2008-01-14T10:19:00.001-08:00

You are trying to figure out what to wear to work and you contemplate your black yoga/casual sleep pants.

Rock of Love 2

2008-01-14T09:18:00.001-08:00

I absolutely positively refuse to DVR this show but I did catch some last night. I wasn't going to watch but then I noticed something very interesting. Megan, the season 3 winner of "Beauty and the Geek" is a contestant. She looks much better. Did she use her winnings to get plastic surgery? More importantly, is she a reality fame whore? Finally, didn't her geek teach her better than this?

List of Celeb Contributions to Political Candidates

2008-01-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

I cut and paste this from Perez who cut and paste it from... some other source.

It's pretty interesting. Ellen Pompeo gives more than Oprah!

Jennifer Aniston–$2,300 to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama
Tyra Banks–$2,300 contribution to Obama
Halle Berry–$2,300 to Obama
Zach Braff–$2,300 to Obama
Christie Brinkley–$2,150 to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton–$1,000 to Obama
Jerry Bruckheimer–$2,300 to Republican presidential candidate John McCain
Cher–$2,100 to former Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden
George Clooney–$2,300 to Obama
Michael Douglas–$4,600 to Clinton–$4,600 to Richardson–$1,500 to Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich–$4,600 to Dodd–$4,600 to Obama
Jamie Foxx–$2,300 to Obama
Kelsey Grammer–$2,300 to Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani
Tom Hanks–$2,300 to Clinton–$2,300 to Obama
Val Kilmer–$2,300 to Richardson
Tobey Maguire–$4,600 to Clinton–$2,300 to Obama
Steve Martin–$2,300 to Dodd
Lorne Michaels–$4,600 to Dodd–$2,300 to McCain
Bette Midler–$4,600 to Richardson–$2,300 to Clinton–$2,300 to Obama
Eddie Murphy–$2,300 to Obama
Paul Newman–$4,600 to Obama–$4,600 to Clinton–$2,300 to Richardson–$4,600 to Dodd
Edward Norton–$2,300 to Obama
Rosie O'Donnell–$2,300 to Clinton–$2,300 to Obama–$2,300 to Richardson–$2,300 to Edwards
Sean Penn–$2,300 to Kucinich–$4,600 to Edwards
Ellen Pompeo–$4,600 to Obama
Lynn Redgrave–$250 to Clinton
Rob Reiner–$2,300 to Clinton–$2,300 to Richardson–$2,300 to Edwards–$1,000 to Dodd
Chris Rock–$4,600 to Obama
Adam Sandler–$2,100 to Giuliani
Brooke Shields–$2,300 to Obama
Will Smith–$4,600 to Obama
Steven Spielberg–$2,300 to Clinton–$2,300 to Richardson–$2,300 to Edwards–$2,300 to Obama
Ben Stein–$750 to Giuliani
Ben Stiller–$2,300 to Edwards–$2,300 to Obama–$4,600 to Clinton
Barbra Streisand–$1,000 to Dodd–$2,300 to Clinton–$2,300 to Edwards–$2,300 to Obama
Oprah Winfrey–$2,300 to Obama
Renee Zellweger–$4,600 to Clinton

We're rich bitch!

2008-01-11T13:39:00.000-08:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_most_millionaires

This is no armpit of America!

We just love this guy!

2008-01-09T07:40:00.001-08:00

Zac Efron is a Queen

2008-01-04T08:55:00.000-08:00

This kid is hilarious. For proof see Q8 in an interview with Seventeen Magazine.

8. If you could trade places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be?
Queen of England. Why? No idea.

http://www.seventeen.com/dating/17-questions/

Caucuses are weird

2008-01-04T07:23:00.000-08:00

So it's 2008 and I'm sure everyone has election fever. Well I do at least. Last night was the first round of a long process which will narrow down the candidates who will inevitably run for President. I must say though, what is the deal with the Iowa Caucus? Why Iowa? I know there's some historical precident for this but I'm not sure it makes sense to place so much emphasis on a state that is not really representative of how the rest of the country thinks (Nothing against Iowa but all those evangelicals voting for Huckabee aren't necessarily what America thinks. Also, does anyone know if Mike has campaign shirts that say "I heart Huckabee"? B/c that would be cute altho I don't know if he would be into name checking a sucky movie about existentialism. That's right, I think that movie was a time suck and not enjoyable!!!! However, I will say Mark Walberg is funnier than I thought. But I digress...).

Last night, I came to the realization that the caucus system is truly bizarre albeit fascinating. I think I speak for many of you when I say that I was a tad confused about the difference between a caucus and a primary. Well to the extent of my knowledge, a primary is more formal and straightforward. Voters simply cast their ballot for a particular candidate. A caucus is more like a big town meeting where people hear speeches and discuss before voting for a candidate. It is less cloak and dagger and more public. Now that sounds quaint and charming to me but I don't know if I like the caucus system. I mean people are gathering in people's living rooms? That just seems so informal to me! I also don't like the influence and pressure tactics that can be used to impact voting. And some regions might only have like 3 people in the caucus. That seems like unfair weighting to me. The Democrats use a different system than the Republicans. I feel like if we are putting this much emphasis on a caucus, shouldn't methodology be consistent? The Republicans are more straight-forward: people vote and the winner is declared. For the Dems, votes are compiled and then people go into a room where representatives are standing in different areas to indicate each candidate. You then go to stand by the candidate of your choice. However, your candidates must have received 15% of the vote in the first step of the caucus to qualify. As an example, let's say you were in a caucus of 10 people at Tom Sanderson's house. After waiting for Tom to get off of work as I'm assuming everyone must be in the same place at the same time (INEFFICIENT!), you vote. Chris Thompson voted for Biden. He was the only one. Thus, Biden did not receive 15% of the vote so for the second stage of the Democratic caucus, Chris Thompson must pick another candidate to support. Chris loved Bill Clinton but hates Hillary, he wants someone less divisive, someone more palatable as a second choice. Chris decides to go with Obama. Therefore, Obama gets the vote and the original vote for Biden is not reported on. The Dems system cuts out the fat so to speak, letting the bigger dogs shine. But still very odd, n'cest pas?

I was excited that Obama won but I must say I was surprised by how well Edwards did. His crowd turnout in Iowa was much smaller than Obama and Clinton and his funds are also comparatively smaller. This is a tough year for me in terms of candidates. My heart says Obama but my head says "Are you sure?" I do like Hillary's experience and brains and her naked ambition. She's such a power hungry bitch and I actually mean that as a compliment. But people hate Hillary. There's really no middle ground on her whereas people just love Obama and his inspirational messages of hope. But sometimes he seems so naive to me. Edwards is fine but I certainly like Elizabeth more than I like him. I also feel like he should be concentrating on his family right now and not taking them all around the country to indulge his dreams. By the way, check out the video at the NYtimes where they talk about how hard life is on the road for young children and Edwards tells his little moppet son Jack that the reporters who set up basketball games for him, etc are not his friends. I thought that was so mean! That and a lackluster interview on Logo earlier in the year make me eh on Edwards. He can be in the cabinet but he's not ready for the big chair yet.

*Note: I'm just a regular Jane so forgive me if my knowledge of political facts are off.

Funny b/c it's true

2008-01-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

This bit was from thesuperficial.com:

Kristen Bell has been trying to keep her relationship with Dax Shepard out of the public eye. Some say it’s to maintain a sense of privacy. I say it’s out of shame, utter remorse and did I mention shame? Anyway, the two were spotted yesterday being very affectionate on South Beach. I don’t really see the appeal of Dax Shepard, but I guess chicks dig mediocre acting talent coupled with sub-par looks.

SO TRUE! Be ashamed Kristen Bell, you could do so much better. Hell, I'd rather she wind up with Milo. Too bad she's about 7 years too old for him.

I hate you, reality dating shows!!!

2008-01-02T10:40:00.001-08:00

So Tila Tequilla is getting a second shot at love with MTV. It scored boffo ratings so in a way, this should come as no surprise. However, even though I know it's MTV which often mixes insincere intentions with shameless sluttery, I really wanted to believe in Tila's love. Initially, I heard there would be no second season b/c Tila found true love and happiness. I found that to be refreshing but now they say it was just a ploy to hold out for more money. This is very frustrating b/c you almost never find Asian women on TV so I wanted to support that whore Tila in her identity quest. But now I hear all these rumors that she has a longtime boyfriend, isn't bisexual, and didn't even give Bobby her phone number after she picked him. I mean what on earth! At least pretend like you are sort of interested before breaking up in time to announce the second season of your show. I didn't care one way or the other for Bobby (Team Dani!!) but I still feel bad for the guy b/c he seemed to genuinely care about Tila unless that was all a facade too!

There is a second season of "Rock of Love" as well. F you Bret Michaels, I'm so pissed off at him too. I mean obviously he wants nothing but a good time but that was one of the few times that I watched a really bad reality dating show on cable where a nice girl got picked. Jes was refreshingly normal and level headed and I was impressed that she was picked. Now I read that he only called her once in the 6 months after the show to invite her to come to one of his performances but he also invited 2 other "Rock of Love" alum as well. Jes said it was clear Bret wasn't interested but it was okay b/c she wasn't into him either. She was just exhausted from the mind games and being cooped up in the house all day. Jes also claims on VH1.com that she never had sex with Bret as does Heather interestingly enough. I was very surprised at this. What were they doing on their overnight dates then? I thought if I couldn't count on real romantic feelings and a foundation of respect and mutual admiration, I could at least depend on cheap, casual sex. Especially from a *cough* rock star. So if the hookups are fake and the love is fake, why do I keep wasting my time on this crap?!

Can't he find a nice girl his own age?

2007-12-30T22:01:00.000-08:00

Ugh, this age difference really bugs me. I feel like Milo was just biding his time until Hayden became legal.

'Heroes' Stars Come Clean About Romance

Heroes co-stars Milo Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere have stopped pretending they're just good friends after cooing about their romance at a recent show party. Actor Ventimiglia toasted the actress at the pre-Christmas Water Grill party in Los Angeles, telling co-stars he was in fact dating Panettiere. An eyewitness tells In Touch Weekly magazine, "He called her his girlfriend and said that he loved her." The couple spent the rest of the party sitting together and holding hands. Ventimiglia recently shrugged off romance reports, insisting he and his co-star were just "close friends". He said, "It's only natural that people are going to couple us together."

Domenico!!!

2007-12-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

Look I'm woman enough to admit that I am more than a casual view of "A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila". I have DVR now, what can I say. I just read today that MTV is doing a spin-off featuring everyone's favorite humorous little Italian, Domenico!! I really liked Domenico and I liked how much everyone else liked him and cried when he was eliminated. I really doubt he will find love American style but I think it will be mindlessly entertaining. I'm just waiting for a VH1 spin-off of "I Love New York" (which was actually a spin-off to begin with) entitled "I love Punk." Punk-you went to Harvard, why on earth were you on a reality show competing for the love of New York and interacting with crazy Mother Sister Patterson?!

(FROM HOLLYWOOD REPORTER) – MTV is doing a spin-off of its popular unscripted competition series A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila, which just wrapped its first season with an average of 6.2 million viewers, making it the network's most-watched series. The spin-off, titled That's Amore, will focus on Milan, Italy-born contestant Domenico Nesci, who will be looking for an ''American Sweetheart'' from among 15 single ladies who will travel to Italy with him to meet his mother. Six hour-long episodes of Amore (plus a reunion special) are slated to run Sundays at 10 p.m. starting on March 2. (Hollywood Reporter)

Rice rice baby

2007-12-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

I love this site - it's charitable and educational: http://www.freerice.com/.

I topped out at vocab level 41 but I have donated many a grain to the United Nations.

Worst mother in America: Lynne Spears

2007-12-19T06:47:00.000-08:00

So the news is everywhere that Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant. She's 16, keeping the baby, and made the big announcement in an exclusive with OK! magazine. What on earth!?! She's a baby! Even Britney at least waited until she was 20 and married. Jamie Lynn needs to be fired from her Nickelodeon show b/c this is not setting a very good example for all of her little tween girl fans. The father is her LIVE IN boyfriend and he's 19. What kind of mother lets your 16 year old live with her 19 year old boyfriend? Don't these Spears women know anything about birth control? Lynne Spears should be reading parenting books not writing them!

An alternative to time out in the corner

2007-12-17T06:47:00.001-08:00

While the punishment was a bit harsh, I find this just hilarious.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071216/od_afp/canadainternetdrugchristmasoffbeat;_ylt=ApsUqfHqyJ2yQnncNDNr57OhOrgF

Thought provoking article in the NYT

2007-12-10T07:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/fashion/weddings/02field.html?emc=eta1

What are your thoughts on changing your name after marriage?

Original Carly ahhhhh!

2007-12-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

Is Sarah Brown, the orignal Carly, coming back to GH? I just read this little cryptic tease on her site:
http://www.sarahbrown.net/news.html

Now Sarah Brown, while always a VR Trooper in the back of my mind, is a great actress and just killed it in the role of Carly. She was getting Emmy nominations left and right back in the day. At the same time though, she was rather.....messy and masculine in her approach to Carly. She was very tough and rough and didn't strike me as your typical soap heroine. I also recall reading once that Steve Burton (aka Jason) wasn't crazy about the idea of love scenes with Sarah and I feel like it was due to her general posture and attitude but this was of course never confirmed. Laura Wright has been Carly for awhile now and she is fairly well respected in the genre. I'm not sure how well the fans like her as Carly but I'm sure it's better than that blah man voiced brunette who assumed the role ever briefly.

What do Coo Coo and General Hospital fans think of this news? Personally, I'd rather hear Vanessa Marcil or Jonathan Jackson was returning instead.

Anderson Cooper: you're next!

2007-12-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

From Perez:

Jodie Foster Comes Out Of The Closet!

Filed under: Gay Gay Gay > Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster sent shockwaves through Hollywood this week by publicly acknowledging her same-sex lover of almost 20 years for the first time ever. The actress was presented with a leadership award by the Hollywood Reporter at a Power 100 breakfast on Tuesday. When accepting her award, Jodie thanked “my beautiful Cydney who sticks with me through all the rotten and the bliss.” Cydney is Cydney Bernard, Foster’s longtime partner and co-mother of their children. In her speech, Jodie went on to characterize herself as a “professional” and a “gentleman,” someone that’s managed to have a 42-year career in Hollywood and come out relatively sane.
Congratulations, Jodie!

Bad Career Move for Bale?

2007-12-05T06:50:00.000-08:00

It has been officially confirmed that Christian Bale will be playing John Connor in the new Terminator movie entitled "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins." This is supposed to be part 1 of a brand-new trilogy envisioned by producers Derek Anderson, Victor Kubicek, and Moritz Borman. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20164286,00.html

Why did Christian Bale agree to appear in three big budget action movies directed by McG (of "Charlie's Angels" fame aka he is not particularly well-respected)? Bale is a great actor and can convincingly portray any character he wants. He already has a big budget iconic character in the bag with Batman. I would think that role would take care of any action, monetary, etc type of desires he may have, leaving room for Bale to also act in smaller, edgier films. But now that he's committed to the Terminator movies and the Batman movies, how is going to have time to do anything else? He's so method too that I fear he will start believing we are living in a post-apocalyptic world and start making tourniquets out of shirt sleeves and screaming "Come with me if you want to live!!!" in his everyday life.

The Power of Curry

2007-12-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

What power does Ann Curry hold over Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie? Does she hold a top secret sex tape in her possession? Does she know some officials at various adoption agencies across the globe? Do the Jolie-Pitts find the lull of her voice soothing? Does Angelina just have a thing for Asian women?

Every time "The Today Show" touts an "exclusive interview" with Brad and Angelina, it's always with Ann Curry. Why Ann why? Of all the people on "The Today Show", I find her the most bland and open to ridicule. Maybe it's her awkward jokes, the way she leans too far in towards her guests to show her sensitivity, the way she attacks attractive older male actors, but something about Ann ain't quite right to me. Perhaps, Ann got the first exclusive by random assignment and then she just became designated the go to girl for all things Brad and Angelina. Or maybe this was leverage. Ann, we gave you Brangelina, now you have to go to Antarctica during NBC's green week! Whatever it is, it's a real mystery. I think I'll put Natalie Morales on the case.

Marie Osmond = Coo Coo Bananas

2007-11-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

If you are a living breathing human being with access to the media, you are aware of the phenomenon that is "Dancing with the Stars". I'm a casual viewer of said program and I was pleased with the outcome. I like Helio and Julianne very much. Helio is very charming and an impressive hoofer for a race car driver and Juilianne is just so adorable that I hope Kevin Connelley never lays his stinky paws on her. I would also have been content if Mel won. She was always my favorite Spice Girl and she can really move. But the popularity of Marie Osmond really befuddles me. I know she's very popular with middle aged women/ moms and she seems like a nice enough woman who has been through a lot. However, she also seems a bit crazy. I understand she was raised in a performing household but there's something always off about child stars. I think she's way too close to Donnie and they just seem far too intimate in their interactions. I feel sure that they have at least made out in younger days. Stop calling your sister "hot" and "sexy" on "Entertainment Tonight" Donnie! It's disgusting to hear during my dinner time! I have no problem with the fact that Marie had post-partem - that can't be helped. I don't have a problem with the fact that she's a twice divorced Mormon. But I do have a problem with her lavishing praise on her 16 year old rehab bound son. It's a good thing that he is getting help but geez, 16 years old? This makes me question Marie's parenting skills. Maybe a little less dancing and a little more tough love Marie. And don't get me started on Marie's erratic dance moves and her wind up doll finale free style. I felt like I was watching a car wreck. It was craziest, most assinine thing I've seen since Britney's performance at the VMAs.

Manny the Movie Guy

2007-11-13T11:23:00.001-08:00

In my quest to find out more information about "No Country For Old Men" (which is a great movie........but probably even better if your theater has air conditioning and you don't almost black out at the end - Thanks Loews Union Sqaure!), I stumbled upon this fellow's site. His name is Manny and I guess he reviews movies and sometimes interviews movie stars. I was glancing over his page when two things caught my eye. The first is that the background is pale pink with lipstick prints all over. The second thing I noticed is that he said he once had a crush on Josh Brolin. I thought to myself "Who is this guy?" So I can't actually watch his interviews as I am at work and cannot view video in the office but I was able to click on "About Manny" and it was so entertaining that I have decided to share his site with all of you.

While I literally only looked at this site for 5 minutes in total, I am deeming it coo coo worthy.

My favorites bit on the site is:

You can feel Manny’s love for films in his TV and radio segments, or in his weekly paper. From his ratings (he gives kisses—because he loves movies so much, every movie deserves at least a kiss—or a half kiss—just don’t ask him to give the tongue) to the way he calls his viewers, listeners, readers—they’re all “lovely.” Manny also has this infectious giggle that viewers have been imitating but never able to duplicate. And of course, Manny parades around with his magical beret, not because he’s bald, but it’s his lucky hat.So luck, tenacity, and talent led him to where he is now, let’s all wait and see where his American dream will take him next. Let’s just pray it doesn’t turn into an American nightmare (giggles).

Manny strikes me as a Phillippino Ross the Intern with a penchant for headwear. Here's his site: http://www.mannythemovieguy.com/.

General Hospital's Black and White Ball

2007-11-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

Now I have refrained from commenting on soaps thus far on the blog b/c, well, it ruins my street cred. But alas, it's my duty as a blogger to talk about things that rile me up and "General Hospital" is riling me up. I haven't kept up with the soaps in some time. I generally watch Soapnet with a focus on ABC Daytime during the summer when there is no original programming on the networks or cable. But in recent years, soap operas have been so terrible that I couldn't even stomach watching the asinine acting and ridiculous plots. "General Hospital" is generally higher in quality in terms of storylines and acting so I started watching their Black and White Ball storyline last week to find out what major character died (I love it when a soap is ballsy enough to kill a major character AND keep them dead which is rare). Basically, GH is repeating their old trick from the Hotel Fire storyline where they show some bits in the "present" which let you peek into the catastrophic aftermath of some major event. Then they go back in time, hour by hour, much like 24 to let you see the events leading up to the tragedy. Of course, it looks like someone died at the Ball, they are making it seem like Emily Quartermaine but who knows, they never actually showed us a dead body, only a white masquerade ball mask and a wailing Nicholas Cassadine. Now, my feelings about this storyline are as follows (in no particular order):

Jeers:

1) Nicholas threw this party to celebrate his renewed love with Emily. He wanted to re-create the magic of the Bacchanalia which Emily loved back when she was played by Amber Tamblyn and not hot enough to be paired with Tyler Christopher (who looks so chunky now, good thing he and Vanessa Marcil never tied the knot, she would be cursing her misfortune). Now, that's sweet to bring in history I suppose but is Nicholas forgetting something very important about the Bacchanalia? KATHERINE BELL WAS PUSHED OFF THE PARAPET!!! Everyone knows that!! I mean, I don't think Katherine died (maybe she fake died I cannot recall) but still it was a very tragic end to a "magical night". If the citizens of Port Charles were normal human beings, one would assume that they would always associate the Bacchanalia with Katherine's tragic fall and not the delicious Windamere punch and Gothic architecture.

2) Rick got stabbed through the shoulder with some kind of sword/lance. Fine, fine, I can believe that. A psycho killer is on the loose and stuff like this happens. However, this is where I get angry. He's losing a lot of blood and therefore Dr. Patrick Drake declares if they don't operate on Rick immediately, he will die! Now there is no power, no tools, and minimal gloves. How on earth are they going to do a blood transfusion? With straws and steak knives? This makes absolutely no sense! I mean it's bad enough they did this during the hotel fire, stitching HIV positive Robin up with a basic sewing kit and towels found around the hotel, but something about a blood transfusion I find more ridiculous. I mean it makes no sense! Just kill Rick and be done with it than make me watch this silly story. Even "Grey's Anatomy" is more realistic than this.

3) I miss Lucy Coe, she would have been buckets of fun at this Ball. Someone give Lynn Herring a call! She's comedy gold.

4) Rumors are swirling that Luke is the one to die from a heart attack. Give me a break Soap Opera Digest. You are so full of it. If Tony Geary left the show or was let go, I would be compelled to write an angry letter, err email, to ABC and possibly stop watching the show altogether.

Cheers:

5) Robin Scorpio looks gorgeous in this story. Her gown, her make-up, her hair - everything works. I have never seen her look better! Nice job hair, make-up, and wardrobe department! She definitely looks better than Leyla for the past few weeks.

6) That kid who play Johnny Zacchara is hot and can act. I like him with Lulu. Just when I think I really like the guy Lulu is paired with, GH brings on an even better love interest for her. But they must be careful, Lulu is apparently the only suitable young woman in town and she may end up with quite a slutty reputation with all these men around - Logan, Spinelli, the younger brother of Max, Johnny. She's only one woman.

Kanye West's Mother Dies

2007-11-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

I read this morning that Kanye West's mother died unexpectedly during cosmetic surgery. That is sad news but also cringe-worthy and awkward. What a terrible way to die. They aren't publicly releasing what kind of cosmetic surgery it was and probably may not ever reveal that information but I feel like it's safe to assume it was probably something frivolous and unnecessary like liposuction. The idea that you risked your life for superficial purposes is very depressing. Kanye's mother was quite young as well - only 58. It does remind you that one should not just jump onto the plastic surgery bandwagon just because you can b/c there are some real risks involved any time you go under the knife.

Eww ala Summer Roberts

2007-11-09T12:08:00.000-08:00

Why don't some women believe in the courtesy flush or washing their hands after using the bathroom? Ugh!!

It's even more disheartening than seeing how many cans my fellow employees have donated for the can drive thus far.

Cormac McCarthy

2007-11-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

I feel there have been great demands on coo-coo to come up with new material. Apparently, I have few fans but the ones I do possess are a passionate lot. Or maybe they are just really bored at work. I have been sort of busy/angry at work lately. I have primarily been managing my underling and then spend my free time stewing about how much I hate my job and contemplating how far I can go being snarky at work before people start losing good will with me. Apparently, too far involves me declaring that our company bonuses are the same thing as not receiving bonuses at all, commenting that I feel my new project will be the second worst one I've ever done (in terms of stress and effort not the quality of my work), not laughing at people's weird jokes/backhanded compliments, and then saying quite loudly "I don't need a man to put together a box!" That one really bugged me. What kind of woman can't put together her own goddamned cardboard box? Just read the instructions and do it yourself! God!!! I hate having to be all political and always be charming with your co-workers, sometimes I just want to be left alone!

Anyway, I think I have been in self-pity mode and nothing really struck me as interesting enough to write. But I mustn't disappoint my fans. So here we go.

Let's see, I just finished a book which I absolutely adored. It was Cormac McCarthy's "The Road." It was incredible. I was a little bit embarrassed initially to be reading it on the subway/path because it was a more recent paperback edition which meant it had the Oprah book club stamp on the right hand corner. Cringe. Now, I love Mama O. I think she's swell. I think the mistakes made at her elite girls' school in Africa were terrible but she is doing what she can to rectify the situation. Oprah's a busy lady and does a lot of great things. I don't mind if she preaches or turns people against meat or makes otherwise sane women freak out when she gives out freebies on her show. B/c you know what? I would freak out too around Oprah. She is so powerful and charismatic and say what you will about her being pompous, etc but she's undeniably a smart, strong woman who does inspiring things. I once saw Oprah outside the premiere of "The Color Purple" on Broadway. I was so close to her that I could have literally lunged forward a few feet and touched her. But b/c I'm not a creepy stalker and I don't believe in exercise, I refrained. But it was thrilling to be in her presence. I also think they were must spray paint/shellac her make up on everyday b/c it was flawless and everyone knows Oprah's face looks VERY different without make up. Anyway, the book was about a father and son who are living in this post apocalyptic world. We don't know quite what happened. I think McCarthy is being purposely vague in this respect which I like. Was it a nuclear holocaust? Was this a case of humans destroying nature over time with their greed and violent tendencies? Was there a worldwide virus? Did zombies/vampires take over our land? Probably not the last one b/c this isn't a bad sci-fi horror movie. Regardless, there aren't many humans left walking the earth. Some of the people left are "bad guys", desperate individuals who will do anything to survive. Times are tough - food is scarce, there's no electricity, you can't stay in one place too long, there's no running water - it's just horrible. People have turned to cannibalism and violent theft in order to sustain themselves. It's really gritty and pretty frank about what people need to do in order to survive. Now our father and son protagonists are "good guys" b/c they don't eat people or intentionally (ideally) hurt others. The book is all about their journey, trying to survive and navigate their lives and the love that sustains them. It brings up all these questions about what you would do if you were placed in such a desperate situation and also what is the true meaning of love. I don't want to spoil the book for 2 people reading this blog b/c I've already recommended this book to them, but I will say this. I was very hesitant to read Cormac McCarthy. I had heard good things about him but I always associate him with his border books (which I haven't read). I figured he talks about cowboys and the open range and old fashioned boys and values. This is stuff I just can't relate to. I had heard he was very graphic and violent and I just didn't think his writing style would suit me. Initially, when I started the book, I noticed that McCarthy used very sparse prose. Simple but well done sentences and a lot of back and forth dialog between father and son. I think I tend to enjoy overly verbose stuff as that is the type of person I am. However, this was a really quick and engaging read. I immediately became engrossed in the book and just fell in love with it. It was so well written and the story was just amazing. I was emotionally moved and I found it truly thought provoking. It was one of those books that you can't wait to finish (I wanted to give it 5 stars on goodreads, which is basically friendster/facebook/myspace for books, - a rarity for me) yet at the same time, you don't want to finish b/c that means you cannot read any more of something that brought you so much pleasure. I loved this book so much that I wish I was a man so I could give this book to my father (much like that sorta cute hippish college kid on ER gave his dad played by sorta hot Stanley Tucci) and 5 years later, after I finally harassed him into actually completing a fiction book (my pops don't read much), we would hug each other and cry about the love between a father and son. Sigh.

Cormac McCarthy also wrote "No Country For Old Men" which comes out in theaters today. It stars Javier Bardem and Josh (yawn) Brolin aka Mr. Diane Lane aka James Brolin's son aka Babs's step-son aka Minnie Driver's ex aka dude who wound up in 2 heavyweight movies this fall wearing a crazy thick mustache. The movie is getting great reviews and I'm going to see it tonight. I contemplated reading the book first, but time was of the essence and I decided that I would take the visual cliff's notes way out on this one. If I like it, I will read the book after. Now, here is what I am thinking about. Javier Bardem: hunky and smoldering or weird and tough or ugly beautiful? I mean I think it's universally agreed upon that he is a great actor. Penelope Cruz seems to think his tonsils are hot. But I'm on the fence about his looks. He's big and hulking and he has talent. He has presence which sometimes translates into sex appeal. But his face is kind of rough and ape-ish. I'm not sure if I dig that. He looks like he could take a tree trunk and break it in half with his bare hands and then make a chair out of that wood. That dreadful Ichabod Crane hairdo he sports in "No Country" doesn't do him any favors either. But I just can't decide if I want to jump on the Bardem bandwagon or not. He is also going to star in "Love in the Time of Cholera" this year which I will probably see so I think I'm going to end up seeing more of Javier than ever before.

Delicious Deliciousness

2007-10-23T10:21:00.001-07:00

My sister Janet and I made pastel de tres leches (three milk cake) this past weekend as dessert for a dinner party. It came out divine. It was sweet but not sickly sweet, moist yet firm. I have been a huge fan of pastel de tres leches ever since I gave a friend the recipe for a Latin America food day. When done properly, it can be heavenly. When one element is out of sync, it can be cavity inducing and blah. This recipe was fantastic and pretty simple to follow. Make it with a friend b/c baking is more fun with two!

http://justbaking.net/2007/03/19/insanely-good-tres-leches-cake/

Thoughts on Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize... wait a minute James Lipton is a pimp!

2007-10-15T10:22:00.003-07:00

Well, this is old news now. But it's great news and well deserved - I love Al Gore, he was my first politician crush back in the early '90s (whatever, he was skinny and strapping back then). He has done wonderful things for the environment and he is a persistent and innovative advocate for going green.

But enough about Gore, I just read this today and it is much juicier:

James Lipton, host of Inside the Actor’s Studio, spent his early years working as a pimp in Paris. James has interviewed the top actors of our time for the past 13 years and is revealing the details of his life in a new book. ABC News reports:"This was when I was very very young, living in Paris, penniless, unable to get any kind of working permit... I had a friend who worked in what is called the Milieu, which is that world and she suggested to me one night, `Look, you'll be my mec... We would translate it perhaps... as pimp. We were earning our living together, this young woman and I, we made a rather good living, I must say."

He does have those shifty pimp eyes!

This has been a banner week. Dumbledore is gay, Marie Osmond faints, and James Lipton is a pimp. I love it!

Rundown on "Gossip Girl"

2007-10-15T10:22:00.001-07:00

I was too busy at work to comment on this when it was more relevant but I will attempt an abbreviated commentary now.

I started off ambivantly towards GG (not to be confused with "Gilmore Girls" a far superior program). It had some elements that showed potential - NYC scenary, rich kids doing bad things, snobby one liners, good wardrobe. However, it didn't really live up to its' campy potential. Characters were too one dimensional, there didn't seem to be real stories, and the parents were waaaay too young. The main heroine that you root for really did terrible things to her best friend and apparently only eats yogurt for lunch (which is funny but a little anorexic). Plus many of the actors struck me as cheap versions of actors on "The OC".

For example,
Dan Humphrey = Seth Cohen without the wit, geeky charm, and good taste in music. Better looking in a classic sense but too uncomfortable in his own skin and not in the endearing way.
Serena Van Der Somethingsnotty = Marissa Cooper with better wardrobe and saucy vibe (UPGRADE!).
Mom Van Der Woodsen? = cheap Kelly Rowan wannabe, I didn't even like you on "Melrose Place" Kelly Rutherford (even the actress's names are similiar)
Blair = budget Summer Roberts but not as pretty
and so on...

I became a casual viewer. I watched bits here and there since it was preferable to "Private Practice" (grow up, you guys are like 40+, this behavior is no longer charming) but I did not find it tape worthy although it seemed as though every single person on the street and everyone I knew was watching. I don't buckle to peer pressure.

However, one lazy Sunday (who am I kidding? all my Sundays are lazy), there was a MTV marathon featuring all the GG episodes. I believe at that point 4 or 5 were shown in a row. And that is when I decided you know what? I kind of like this show. It started to grow on me and feel comfortable and comforting much like the way a martini washes over Serena and comforts her by masking the pain. Blair became super bitchy with a heart and some of her lines are pretty good. I am finding the show pretty watchable as a whole. But something still irks me beyond belief. And some parts of my rant may sound snooty and elitist on my end but considering I'm reviewing a show about elite Upper East Siders, I think it's allowed.

The subject of my rant is the Humphrey family (minus Jenny, the kid's alright and she's only 14. I will not talk trash about someone so young unless it's Dakota Fanning jk). YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY HUMPHREY FAMILY!!! Ugh, first off, that dad is far too young to be believable. There was some scene where he was reminscing about like Nine Inch Nails or something that was so recent that it made me feel like I was old enough to sire a child Dan's age. Soon we are going to have parents on the CW say "Remember when Britney Spears was hot? Back when we were young and in middle school in the 1990s?" Also, the Humphrey's are poor. They spend all their money to send their kids to top NYC private schools so they have a better shot at a good education blah blah. Well their apt in Brooklyn (which is apparently in the boonies. yes yes I know that is what all the other kids think but it's just so ridiculous) is gorgeous. It's huge, it's well organized, it looks totally hip. They are not poor. Maybe Dan doesn't have enough money for duck at a fancy restaurant but at least papa Humphrey could fix up some bolognese for them. Also, Dan is supposed to dress like a hip "outsider". He sometimes wears hip army green jackets and tight plain t-shirts. This denotes the fact that he's "indie" and should give him street cred. Puh lease, we all know those pieces from Urban Outfitters and American Apparel don't come cheap Dan! And this is what enraged me more than anything. Dan wants to go to Dartmouth. That is his dream school. He got pissy with his dad because he didn't get to be an usher during Ivy Week b/c he didn't have the family connections. Let me break it down for you Dan. Dartmouth, while indeed an Ivy League school and a fine institution for higher learning, is what one might consider an "easy Ivy". Great school, great reputation but Yale, Harvard, or Princeton it is not. There are lots of kids who go to public high schools who do well on their SATS, get good grades in honor and AP classes, and are involved with activities who get into Dartmouth. I'm not saying it's easy to get into Dartmouth by any stretch of the imagination but you don't need to go to some fancy ass school and have family connections to get in. If Dan is as literate, smart, and well rounded as everyone says, a guy like that should have a really solid shot of getting into Dartmouth. You know why S wasn't stressing Dan? Not b/c she already had an "in" with the school (although that helped) but b/c she was eyeing Brown, another easy Ivy. So Dan, get off your melodramatic high horse and stop bitching at your dad. Just start volunteering and write some deep personal statement and you will get into Dartmouth. The end.

Spaghetti with chorizo and almonds

2007-10-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

I made this Spanish pasta on a whim right before I commenced with my Chinese food themed week. I made this for lunch and it was really unique and delicious. I stayed pretty true to the recipe - there wasn't much need to mix it up.

Recipe from Gourmet Magazine:

For this Spanish-inspired pasta, you break the dried noodles and cook them more like rice — the result is a silky mix speckled with crunchy almonds, smoky chorizo, and aromatic saffron.
Active time: 30 minutes Start to finish: 35 minutes
Servings: Makes 4 servings. (and this is a true 4)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon crumbled saffron thoureads
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 ounces Spanish chorizo (cured spiced pork sausage; not hot), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
12 ounces fideos (dried coiled vermicelli noodles) or angel-hair pasta or thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch lengths
1 (14- to 19-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup sliced almonds with skins, toasted

Preparation
Bring broth, water, wine, saffron, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan, then reduce heat and keep at a bare simmer.Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté garlic until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add chorizo and sauté until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels with garlic. Add butter to pot and sauté onion until golden, about 5 minutes, then add pasta and sauté, breaking up fideos with a wooden spoon, until golden, about 4 minutes. Add broth mixture and cook, covered, until all liquid is absorbed, about 6 minutes. Stir in chickpeas, chorizo, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve pasta sprinkled with almonds and drizzled with oil.

Jessica Seinfeld sticks things in your food without telling you....

2007-10-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

So Jessica Seinfeld wrote a book, "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food." http://www.amazon.com/Deceptively-Delicious-Simple-Secrets-Eating/dp/0061251348/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-2346179-3657453?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192036379&sr=8-1
I'm assuming she wrote the book herself as "Jessica Seinfeld with [INSERT NAME HERE]" does not appear on the cover. She worked with a nutritionist (Joy Bauer who seems like she's BFF with Jessica) and a professional chef on most of the content of the book. I feel like Jessica's contribution is probably limited to writing a few intros and providing some family photos and personal anecdotes and then BAM - instant author.

I think the idea behind the book is great in theory and probably in practice (I haven't read the book yet or tried out any recipes but yes, I am fit to comment on it). Basically, Jessica sticks vegetable puree into classic recipes so that children who refuse to eat vegetables get their nutrients and vitamins. Some of the purees make perfect sense (sweet potato puree in pancake batter) and others are very interesting and somewhat unique (spinach puree in cookies, avocado puree in chocolate pudding).

However, I do have a few potential issues with the book and maybe Jessica Seinfeld. Jessica commented today that she also puts raw and more obvious vegetables alongside these dishes to show her children that vegetables are an important part of their lives and diet. This is very good and I was glad to hear that. But uh Jessica what if your kids still refuse to eat these vegetables? Do you just go "oh well I put them there, they know vegetables are a part of the food pyramid. It doesn't matter if they don't eat them because I've snuck the veggies in their food anyway! Ha!). She also mentioned on the "Today Show" that her kids think that her tofu nuggets are actually fried cheese. From this story, it sounds like her kids are truly being deceived. They are eating vegetables and enjoying it and not even being told! Wouldn't it be a better policy to tell the Seinfeld children that they are eating mac and cheese and then when they say, "ooh I love this mac and cheese, it's so yummy" (or however kids talk talk these days), you can say, "you know there is cauliflower in that mac and cheese" and then the children will realize that they do enjoy the taste of vegetables and may be more open to eating all different forms of vegetables in the future. By giving kids essential nutrients for their body but letting them believe they hate vegetables and don't eat them, you are, in a way, poisoning their minds! Well that is over dramatic, but you get the point. In my opinion as a women who does not have any children, kid's minds can be pretty simple. If something tastes good they will eat it. Even if something doesn't taste good, kids will eat it (aka any child that has ever eaten paste). If a child truly enjoyed a particular dish and then found out it contained vegetables, it would be safe to assume that they would continue to eat the dish even after the big reveal. This might encourage children to try more vegetables in the future and therefore promote healthy food choices for life. We don't want a bunch of fat 18 year old college students wondering why they don't feel as good ever since they moved away from home and stopped eating their mother's "fried cheese".

Another thing I am pondering is how much did Jessica Seinfeld really contribute to the book? Was it her idea to puree vegetables and then she just introduced the professional chef to the nutrionist and just let them have at it? Does Jessica even cook for her children? Or does she just dictate to her chef what she wants to eat that day?

What I really want to see is a book by Jessica Seinfeld talking about how she landed Jerry Seinfeld. She can call it "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Getting a Rich, Eligible Bachelor to Propose." I'm sure some deception was involved as she was married to Eric Nederlander when she first met Jerry at the gym and they began their courtship. I think they are well matched actually. She's a smart, attractive, articulate Jewish woman who is obviously very cultured and professional. She's attractive enough that everyone can agree that she's attractive. But she's not so hot that people think she's a bimbo just out for your money. She's an ideal wife type. But women like that also always strike me as being really hungry - hungry for the best deal, always hunting for the next best thing. Jessica gets to run philantropic organizations and plan black tie charity events and is always rubbing elbows with celebs in the Hamptons. Which leads me to another issue with the book which I will call "The Anderson Cooper Effect".

The Seinfelds are famous. People love them. They have a lot of famous friends. And these famous friends lend support when you publish a book. But sometimes you have to wonder about the relevance of this support. Below are three highlights of reviews for the book:

--Anderson Cooper, CNN Anchor, Anderson Cooper 360 and best-selling author of DISPATCHES FROM THE EDGE: A memoir of War, Disasters and Survival. "Deceptively Delicious is a book anyone wanting easy, healthy meals will find indispensable. Page after page, you'll find yourself saying, "what a great idea!"

Really? Anderson Cooper? What is the relevance of his reviewing a cookbook for children? Does he also hate vegetables? Does he give the cookbook to his latin lover and tell him to prepare healthy dinners but lie about the vegetables pureed inside?

-Sarah Jessica Parker, Mother"It's not just a cookbook, it's a manual. For everyday. And what a clever and inventive way to change mealtime discourse. Oh what joy."

Funny, I thought SJP was both a mother and an actress. Well I can't say anything bad about this one. I am a woman who watched SATC and therefore, I love SJP. I even forgive you for Bitten.

-Kelly Ripa, actress, co-host, Live with Regis and Kelly, and Mother "Jessica Seinfeld is genius. She puts practical advice, delicious and easy recipes together in such a creative way! Somehow she makes good nutrition taste delicious. "

I actually like Kelly Ripa too. I watched her on "All My Children" and we go way back to when I was in elementary school. However, should we just be throwing around terms like "genius" so casually? I understand that you think Tide to Go is "magic" too but let's pull it together Ripa.

--Alexandra Wentworth - Actress, Writer, and Mother "She incorporates genius recipes with whimsical quotes from her kids and other moms and the photographs are practically edible. This is my Bible. "

So let me get this straight. We can call Alexandra Wentworth an actress but not SJP? Don't get me wrong, Alexandra was great as "herself" on "The View," "Politically Incorrect,"and "Living It Up! With Ali and Jack" but I think her 2 day episode stint on "Felicity" should not qualify as acting cred. Also, does George Stephanopoulous know his wife is godless and follows the cult of puree piety?

This blog is dedicated to my sister Janet who basically decreed I comment on this book. Apparently, I now take blog subject matter requests.

Noteworthy Obsessions of the Week

2007-10-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

1) Finding out about the Masons (My Open House NY tour left me with more questions than answers about this secretive group)
2) Josh Ritter (songs off his two most recent cds)
3) Uncovering whether or not anyone I am friends with is a fan of John Mayer's music (his good looks are a separate issue not to confuse the point)
4) The H&M on 59th and Lex (so much better than all the others!)
5) Staring at my new Ralph Lauren tan boots and plotting when I will actually have an opportunity to wear them (http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/17499181.html). So so beautiful.
6) Things I can make with mint or heavy cream

An open note to Degrassi, The Next Generation

2007-10-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Degrassi,

Sometimes it's okay to be subtle. I understand that you are Canadian and advertise that you "go there" and it's true. No one beats "Degrassi" or the N network in general for cutting edge stories and risky subject matter. But in your recent season premiere, Darcy managed to get roofied at a ski party, got raped by an unknown assailant, found out she got chlamydia, and then had the school think she lost her virginity to Peter (and insist she remove her abstinance ring). Then Darcy slit her wrist in the shower in the girl's locker room during cheerleading practice. This was an hour long episode but come on! Too much going there Degrassi. Maybe split that drama up for a change. I feel like sometimes you need to lighten things up. Plus, if you keep up at this pace, you may run out of stories. You can only have so many pregnancies, stripping, school violence, and drinking problems when most of the kids are still in high school. Save it for "Degrassi: The College Years".

Sincerely,
Lisa

Recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara

2007-10-08T06:38:00.001-07:00

I made really delicious spaghetti carbonara last night. I combined a few recipes to meet my tastes. It was very quick and simple to make. Just make sure that you purchase good quality meat and cheese as it makes or breaks the dish.

If you make a salad or serve bread to accompany this, it could serve up to 6 people. But I don't care for salad or bread and I eat a lot of carbs so this recipes serves 4 mes. I would say in general this recipe serves 5.

1 lb of spaghetti (can be whole wheat or you could even substitute fettucine - whatever is your preference)
1/2 cup cream (I used heavy cream b/c it was cheaper at Garden of Eden but you can also use light)
1/4 lb panchetta, chopped into tiny cubes (have them cut it thick in the store). Some people prefer to use bacon for their carbonara, which is fine. However, it does add a more smoky flavor to the pasta and the dish has a different feel to it.
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped finely
3 extra large eggs
1 cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and more for garnish
Black pepper

Timing on this needs to be coordinated b/c the hot pasta should be ready to go into the meat as soon as you are done cooking it. This will ensure that the eggs get cooked in the hot pasta, etc.

Boil a pot of hot water, add salt and pasta. Stir occasionally.

While pasta is cooking, put olive oil in either a large saute pan or a dutch oven. Cook panchetta and onion over medium heat for about 7 minutes until both are soft and aromatic. Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add cream and cook for 1 minute.

While the panchetta and onion mixture is cooking, beat the eggs in a bowl.

By now your pasta should be ready - quickly drain pasta, reserving some of the pasta water in case you want to modify the sauce (optional). Add the hot pasta to the meat and onion mixture, stir to coat the pasta. Then add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and quickly stir. Then immediately add the eggs and stir the pasta until everything is well distributed. If you want to thin out the sauce, you can add the reserved pasta water here a little bit at time until it reaches your desired consistency. I had no use for the pasta water but everyone is different.

Serve pasta in little nests if you are fancy and own tongs. Or if you are like me and cook only for yourself, serve plopped in a bowl b/c presentation doesn't really matter. Add black pepper and extra cheese and voila! Delicious!

Kite Runner movie delayed due to controversy with child actors

2007-10-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/movies/04kite.html?ex=1192161600&en=b1e4724533d2e44e&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Sodomy scene in movie causes fears for child actors' safety. Interesting article. If you watch the movie (which I did), Assef basically pulls down Hassan's pants from behind but you don't actually see anything. It's more of a suggestion of what happened b/c there is the movement of pulling the pants and a swishing action noise. Belts are undone and later drops of blood fall to the ground (as in the book).

Hot New Couple Alert

2007-10-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

Breaking News:

Deacon Phillippe + Shiloh Jolie Pitt = Aryan babies + Today Show wedding in 2027.

Remember, you heard it here first.

Pam Anderson = Liar?

2007-10-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

Say what you will about Pam Anderson being a bubble headed blonde. I think she's smarter than she seems and I always felt like she was actually a caring (if unconventional) mom. However, this story that Kid Rock is spreading around disturbs me. What do you guys think? Who's right in this he said/she said story?

Kid Rock blabbed to Rolling Stone about his suspicions over the miscarriage Anderson reportedly suffered shortly before they split up in November 2006. According to Kid, he flew to Pam's side in Vancouver, British Columbia, when she told him the news, but "when I get there, she's partying at this restaurant, drinking champagne, jumping on the tables. I'm thinking, 'That's a quick recovery from a miscarriage.'" Pam recently called her ex "bitter" and sighed to Rolling Stone, "If he has nothing nice to say about me, then please tell him to stop talking about me."

Today Show Throws a Wedding Part Deux

2007-10-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

What can I say? I just love me some Today Show.

Today was Cody and Jessica's wedding and it looked really nice and it's great that everything is planned for them and it's free. However, a thought hit me as I was watching Natalie Morales at Tiffany & Co. (the site of their Breakfast at Tiffany's themed reception). Are the Today Show wedding receptions always just breakfast? They must be because they show the wedding live on the plaza at 8 something in the morning and from there they go on to the reception and I am not sure if the party continues until....lunch. As Natalie showed off the baby Bloody Mary's and Tiffany blue rimmed champagne glasses, I felt grossed out by the idea of having the reception for the biggest day of my life at 9am. I barely like eating breakfast at 10am and I really don't care for champage before that. Is the entire affair basically over by 2pm? Because that would be a very bizarre wedding set-up.

Is America Racist?

2007-10-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

Exhibit A: Today Show throws a Martha Stewart wedding. Why did young upstarts Cody and Jessica win the wedding? Is it b/c they are cute, blonde and energetic? Is it b/c Cody sings bad songs on his guitar? Is it b/c Jessica's eyes crinkle and she smiles like a Democratic, more benevolent Elisabeth Hasselbeck?

They are babies, I think they are still in college in fact. They competed against older, more established couples that probably went through more traumatic things than zits to find one another. Nonetheless, they are getting that wedding.

I was pissed about this but today I looked at them on the eve of their wedding and I have to admit, they are freaking adorable. I forgive America!

Hung Jury

2007-10-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if that play on words really works but I do love reading tv reviews that use puns and the like so I'm throwing it out there.

Okay, so the "Top Chef" finale was last night and I was beyond excited. I was looking forward to it all week long with bated breath and I found myself emotional during the last few minutes of the show.

It started out with the chefs being shown a cornucopia of gorgeous fresh meats and produce amid the mountains in Aspen. Casey, Hung, and Dale bit into the goods and reflected on how best to combine the existing spread before them with their specific ingredients which they were allowed to bring for the finale. From the beginning, Casey seemed to be having issues with the elevation and the air which ultimately may have affected her performance in the finale. The three chefs discussed their planned 3 course menu and it became apparent that giant prawns were the big winner since all three chefs wanted to use it for their second dish. Dale decided to switch to lobster which perhaps also led to his undoing in the end.

Per usual, the chefs drew knives to pick their sous chefs. Typically, previous "Top Chef" cast offs have the distinction of serving as sous chefs - usually the chefs who were most recently eliminated and thus most skilled. This time, however, there was a twist which I just loved. Celeb sous chefs! Rocco DiSpirito (an uber famous talented chef now more known for his tantrums on his short lived series "The Restaurant" and shilling for Bertolli frozen dinners and buying bikes for supermodels in NY Magazine), Michelle Bernstein (famous for umm being a lady chef and uh maybe she won a James Beard award? I have no idea) , and Todd English (owns more restaurants than he probably can name) came to assist the final three. They were instructed to simply be the kitchen bitches for the finalists and not provide any type of commentary or assistance which might influence the outcome of the competition.

Hung drew Rocco's knife, Casey drew Michelle, and Dale got Todd and it seemed like in terms of flavors and taste, the matchings could not have been more perfect than if it had been pre-determined by Bravo. Hung and Rocco shared some sweet, tender moments of mutual fawning. It was nice to see someone actually be nice to Rocco. Most of the chefs bashed him, called him a tool and a sell out, and Tony Bourdain loves to give it to Rocco in his blog. Now, I did not really watch "The Restaurant". I've heard about it on more than one occasion and I get the idea. But I've also read Ruth Riechel's reviews of Rocco's restaurants and seen him on "Top Chef" this season and read his blog and I like the guy. He seems like he's learned his lesson and is humble and hard working and knowledgeable. His blogs actually rival Bourdain's in terms of enjoyment. Where Anthony is saucy and hilarious and witty, Rocco is clever and educational. He takes the time to explain cooking methods and origins and he's a great writer. While Anthony Bourdain is right in that Rocco vaguely resembled David Gest (cringe) in his first "Top Chef" appearance, last night he looked downright hot. Yes, he has slimmed down due to his marathon trainings but his face looked quite fetching as well. Kelly Hu syndrome me thinks.... Anyway, Rocco followed Hung's precise directions as did Todd and Michelle. All expressed some hesitation about the sheer number of ingredients going into these dishes. Simplicity was stressed and there was the overriding concern that the chefs were overthinking in their zest to blow the judges out of the water. Michelle was very wary of Casey's choice of pork belly. Casey was braising it first and then planned to stick it in the oven. Michelle seemed to think this meat was a dangerous choice for our fair Casey which was increasingly getting frustrated. I think Casey seems to work by herself best as does Hung to an extent. Casey seems like she needs to actually be in the moment, touching and tasting her food and seeing how the elements work together and then improvising changes and clarifications. It seemed difficult for her to do that when Michelle was prepping her mise en place. As for Hung, he's such a whirlwind and talks so fast and has so many ingredients-sometimes it probably is more efficient for him to take care of things than to have to explain it. Now Dale on the other hand seems to enjoy managing and delegating and Todd English commented on how nice it was to "not think" and just do what Dale told him to do. Yes, Todd, I agree. I love being a robot sheep too. Baaa baaaa.

The next day, the chefs are hard at work when the big bear himself head judge Tom comes in and tells them to come outside. Now anyone who's ever watched any Bravo show or reality competition knows a twist is coming. Sure enough, they have to prepare a "surprise" 4th dish. But they can get help from sous chefs CJ (the gentle giant with one ball and eyes for Padma. They are totally getting it on now that she is divorcing), Sara (cheese lady with bad cous cous), and Howie (his secret ingredient: sweat). So off our little chefs go. Hung decides to tackle desert and sends Sara on her way. Dale and CJ decide to do a scallop and hopefully CJ's knife skills are faster. Casey and Howie decide to do lamb but apparently it's out along with poor Casey's chances and she goes with beef (yawn).

Let's get to the good stuff now. The celeb sous chefs are part of the table alongside the standards-Padma, Tom, Gail, and Ted Allen (I wonder if he has ever noticed how much he and Ilan, the Season 2 winner, resemble one another). They are joined by B-rok aka Brian Malarky, recent cast off. Brian lost the cowboy hat for the occassion and jokes that the meal is his $100K prize. He's a good sport, that Brian. The chefs present their dishes head to head and I can't help but wonder how much each judge actually eats of the dish. It's a lot of food and you have to have at least 2 or 3 bites to get a feel for the dish. And if you love the dish, maybe you even clear the plate. It's 12 dishes in total so I think I finally understand why Padma is wearing that South Beach meets muu muu navy blue number. If a hint of a bump started to show in her belly, rumors might spread that CJ impregnated her!

So here's a run down of the dishes, I'm going to go into explicit detail b/c a) I'm just a home chef foodie and not a professional so I cannot remember all the ingredients and b) you can just to BravoTV if you want more food specifics.

1st course
Hung-His take on fish and chips using himachi. It looked clean and delightful. The judges really liked it but felt it could use some acid in the form of lemon juice.
Dale-Foie gras with raddish salad and peaches. Apparently, Dale put so much foie gras on his plate that the geese population will never forgive him. Judges wanted some toast to cut the richness but it was well received besides that.
Casey-Cinnamon scented scallop and foie gras on an apple with some sort of yellow sauce. I like the way Casey says "Cinnamon". It's adorable. It's a lot better than my friend Kim's southern fried Texas accent. To say the judges did not care for the roe would be the understatement of the year. They were beyond sickened by the presence of salmon roe which Casey tossed on "for color". Oh Casey Casey Casey, fish roe with foie gras? I love both things but together they do sound unpleasant.

Advantage: Hung

2nd course
Hung-Giant prawn with palm sugar glaze served on ocean scented rice (which let's be honest probably just means salt right?). There was some foam on this one I believe? And he was using Tamarind and a variety of other hard to find in the average American grocery store items. This was tasty and refined but the judges thought it could use a dash of salt and maybe some acid yet again.
Dale-His surprise dish with CJ was a scallop dish with purslane (some weed that is similiar to aloe vera apparently) and grapes. This looked lovely and the judges went ape shit for it. They loved loved loved it. Best dish so far hands down they cried!
Casey-Giant prawn in a lobster mushroom yuzu broth with some caviar sprinkled on top. The judges were mystified by her use of roe. I think this was Howie's fault I am told by my friend Margaret but I can't recall who flung the roe. But in Howie's defense, he honestly was trying to make nice.

Advantage: Dale

3nd course
Hung-Sous-vide duck (you stick things in a vacuum sealed container and then you can poach it in water so it retains the flavor and juice and can come out perfectly if prepared well. This show is so educational!!!!) with crisped skin in broth with some kind of foam on top. There was mushrooms in this as well. This dish looked amazing. Even though foam can look a bit disgusting and many say "it's been done", this dish made me drool. I would have had a "When Harry Met Sally" moment if I ate this dish I felt. The judges loved this one. Todd English said it was worth three Michelin stars!! That's no joke! That's an amazing compliment. Rocco said the duck was cooked to perfection and all the other judges agreed. That is when little B-rok piped in that he found absolutely nothing wrong with the dish and also reminded us that he was still there. Michelle said she was a little jealous of this dish too. Or was that the scallop? Oh dear, maybe I should have wrote this blog this morning...
Dale-Lobster with mushrooms, corns, butter, bacon, gnocchi, curry sauce and the kitchen sink. There was a lot going on here but it sounded tasty. However, the judges felt the lobster was overcooked (doll's head texture perhaps) and the curry overpowered and ruined the dish. Bad Dale bad.
Casey-Pork belly, gingered pea shoots, perfectly cooked peach, and some creme fraiche. I love pea shoots. And I think I like pork belly. And I of course like peaches and creme fraiche. However, this one was no good for Casey either (who now it was clear was not going to win even tho she was arguably the fan favorite going in with her past victories and great personality). The pork was overcooked to the point of being burned (hey it's more like bacon that way right?) and Michelle and Tom just knew she left it in the oven too long. The sides were delish though.

Advantage: Hung no doubt

4nd course
Hung-Chocolate molten cake with some sauce blah blah boring. I hate dessert. Dessert is boring. I have a salty tooth and I love savory foods. I also don't like chocolate cake. But apparently, the cake was tasty and well done but boring and did not go with Hung's Vietnamese/French/modern meal progression.
Dale-Colorado lamb cooked in duck fat (yum! but oh wait, I don't eat lamb..) on a bed of something or other. This one was perfectly cooked and judges were impressed yet again.
Casey-Her extra dish. Basically it was steak and potatoes. You can stretch out the word fingerling and say ruby this and that but it was basically steak and potatoes. It was Casey's best dish declared the judges yet Howie basically made this. Ouch.

Advantage: Dale, the self-proclaimed big gay chef, who loves them cowboys

So judging commenced. 2 for Dale, 2 for Hung. It was a nail bitter. Tom hated Dale's lobster with a fiery passion matched only by the sun. Everyone else loved his scallop so much that they felt it made up for the lobster. Tom said he would rather eat unimaginative chocolate cake over doll head lobster any day and put on his angry face. Basically, Dale had two really superior dishes. However, he also had a really terrible dish. And he credited 50% of the scallop dish to CJ. WHY DID YOU DO THAT DALE? SO NOT SMART!! I feel like it was probably 75% Dale anyway so you should of said that. Now is not the time for Mr. Nice Chef. Hung's duck was a "triumph" and all his dishes overall were consistent, well thought out, and delicious. Tom would have eaten any of them again. I had no idea which way it would go. Dale had that wrenching story about how he got laid off from his dream job and didn't cook for a year after that until he landed on "Top Chef". That story was killer and I really felt for Dale. Dale has all that heart and a lot of creativity and really started to make some amazing dishes towards the end. However, he is really out there and combines a lot of different ingredients which either pays off big or is a huge disaster. He also says he can't smell well which is an odd thing for a chef to say. I wonder if that affects his taste buds? It's like having Helen Keller lead you across traffic. Hung is cocky and competitive yes. But it is a competition and he said before if it was a kitchen, he would help out but it's not so he has to play the game. Hung is an immigrant with a family full of cooks and he is so passionate about food and just loves it and is so knowledgeable about technique. Oh I like him too! The way he ripped apart those whole chickens was so amazing. He's been the one to beat since the beginning and especially after Tre kicked it (I still blame you CJ) but I just didn't know what would happen. Reality shows can be so unpredictable.

Cut to the live show that was very "Survivor"esque. Everyone wore the same clothing as in "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" even though obviously we knew that it was not all happening the same day. Seriously, where did Padma get that dress? Motherhood Maternity? I think I want one for bedtime. The finalists got to say their last words, tears were shining in their eyes and I clutched my heart. My sister came through the room to ask who won at 9:55 and I found myself yelling "SHUT UP" I was so keyed up with emotion. Finally, it was revealed that Hung was the winner. Hung's 6 people jumped up and cheered (including Marcel his BFF from Season 2 who was felled by too much foam and hair that looked like Wolverine) and then there was slow standing O from the rest of the crowd who just won't give Hung his effing due. I mean come on, he's not the evil villain everyone wanted to make him out to be. Yes, he was at times selfish and overused the phrase "it's so simple a monkey could do it". But he could back it up with talent and he obviously has a passion and talent for cooking and I think he's a good guy. I love a good immigrant success story sigh. A sad display of confetti fell down as Gail hugged both Hung and Dale a little bit too long. Padma swished in, shoved a mike in Hung's face and he mentioned something about the support of America. I felt a bit awkward for my man there b/c it was not a popularity contest where people vote like "Dancing with the Stars" but I'll chalk that comment up to too much excitement!

In conclusion, Hung fully deserves the $100K from the Gladd family of products, a vacation to the French Alps sponsored by Evian Natural Spring Water, a feature in Food and Wine magazine, and the title of "Top Chef". Casey and Dale will be okay. They are extremely talented and now beloved by America and they can certainly parlay their fame into bigger things. Maybe Bertolli needs a new spokesperson.

Note: This blog has been brought to you by Cold Stone Creamery. Fin!

Leapin Lizards-TV Watch

2007-10-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

Heroes/ Shanghai Kiss Rant

I watched my tape of "Heroes" last night. It was the second episode of the season. I have to admit that while it entertained me, that show often makes odd choices. For example, Claire deciding to cut off her pinky toe in hopes of lizard regeneration. Sure, it's frustrating hiding your identity and you are an angsty teenager. And I would be curious about the boundaries to my abilities too. However, it's very erratic to just decide hey, I'm going to cut my toe off with a pair of scissors while Mr. Muggles stares at himself at the height of doggy narcism. I found myself rooting for her toe to not grow back and then having to watch the fallout of horn rimmed glasses having to explain to doctors why his daughter cut her toe off.

It doesn't help that I went to a movie screening in NYC for "Shanghai Kiss" earlier this week staring none other than Hayden Panettiere (which I hear means "baker" in French) and she was dreadful. This may have not been completely her fault. The writer/director may have told her "I want you to play a 16 year old with sunny smile, perky disposition, and say a lot of high pitched baby talk." In that case, she is in the clear. But if not, I abhor baby talk. I think a lot of people share my view. It's pointless, annoying, and when the high pitched sound is amped up in a movie theater, can probably be used as torture for prisoners of war one day. For those of you who aren't aware of the straight to DVD gem that is "Shanghai Kiss", the basic plot is that an Asian American actor (played by Ken Leung soon to be "Lost") is rather aimless and not finding a lot of luck in his life in LA. He strikes up a friendship with this cutesy blonde high schooler and while she calls him her boyfriend, he just drives her to school and eats her brownies and laments her age. He is 29 and this whole relationship is ridiculously creepy. It's even worse than the suspected real life romance between Hayden and Milo Ventimiglia (who is much better shape than I ever would have imagined-see episode 2 season 2). The two never kiss on the mouth once in the movie and even share a scene where he noticeably cringes when she leans towards his mouth. My take is that their relationship has not become physical beyond the hand holding, dancing, hugging stage. But back to the plot - the main guy's grandmother dies and she leaves him a house in Shanghai. He goes to Shanghai to sell the house thinking he will get $500,000 US for it but in fact it is 500,000 yuan which amounts to about $60,000 US. Oh the monetary conversion misunderstandings!! It's like "Three's Company" for world travellers! While in Shanghai, he suddenly discovers he has no problem bedding Asian women despite the fact it's hinted that he has an aversion to them in LA and tends to go for busty blondes. In Shanghai, he meets the very lovely Kelly Hu (who for some reason is starting look less Asian these days but I cannot put my finger on why. is it the hair? the eye makeup? plastic surgery? leaner face?) and decides to move to Shanghai and discover his roots. I won't go into any further detail about the movie because it's annoying me just to think about it. Kelly Hu has an accent in this movie that reminds of what people who aren't Asian feel like Asian people sound like and basically she sleeps with Liam (the main guy) even though she's a lot hotter than him and she has a sugar daddy boyfriend who she hopes will provide for her poor brothers and sisters. In the end, Liam decides to move back to LA. and ends up with Hayden who at this point may be legal. This movie was being touted as a great example of Asian cinema (at least to those presenting the movie at the Imagineasian Theater) and certainly the main character is humorous and charismatic and gets the women and is screwed up and somewhat interesting which is a different and unique portrayal of Asian men in the movies. However, I wonder what exactly is it supposed to mean that he ends up with the underage blonde who calls him "bunny"? I have really digressed now but if you want to read more about the movie, go here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469184/.

Back to "Heroes", I am loving Hiro in Japan and David Anders as Kensei. Hiro always brings the humor to the show and he's just so darn cute. I have loved David Anders since he was evil Sark on "Alias" so I'm just happy to see him end up on a good show. As for Peter "I got a really great personal trainer this year along with amnesia" Pettrelli, I love his haircut. He's never looked better. He needs to get back together with Alexis Bledel b/c she is looking fantastic these days too and they were a great looking couple. Plus, while she is younger than Milo, it doesn't creep me out to think of them as a couple as it does with him and Hayden. Unless of course, those page six rumors are true and he is a girlfriend beater which I sincerely hope is not the case.

Rock of Love

I watched finale to this good/bad show last night as well. Bret Michaels actually seems fairly sincere and despite the fact that he never takes off his bandana and asked the final 2 women if they would consider both being his girlfriend (oh he kids he kids, it's just a final test! b/c he's just that clever and sneaky and wily. Axl Rose has nothing on this dude!), I want the dude to find a special lady. And he made the right decision. He chose Jes (one s please) over Heather the manly stripper with the self proclaimed "fuck me" hair. This was apparently a soul wrenching decision for Bret although it was pretty clear to me when Heather tattooed "Bret" on the back of her neck, that there was no way in hell she would end up winning his heart. Jes is cool, seems level-headed, and actually appears to be naturally pretty. That is which an accomplishment considering her hair is bleached blonde and hot pink. Good choice Bret. Rock on! May you and Jes spend many a day listening to your new music which pretty much sounds like 10 million variations of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." Kudos on the fact that your show is far more sincere than "Scott Baio is 40 and a Douche" er I mean "Single", far more classy than "I Love New York", and less uncomfortable than "Flava of Love".

2007-09-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

Things that I am loving this week:

Kanye West's white sunglasses-Simultaneously ironic, goofy, trendy, and reminds me of those dancing flowers wearing sunglasses from the '80s.
Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

http://www.rilokiley.com/ (Silver Lining, Breakin' Up, Under the Blacklight, Close Call, Smoke Detector are great. Avoid Jenny Lewis's Spanish in Dejalo)

My age inappropriate (but legal) crush Daniel Radcliffe doing tricks with his tongue and pretending to be American on "Ellen." http://justjared.buzznet.com/2007/09/10/daniel-radcliffe-tongue/. I'm actually disturbed by the second tongue trick which resembles both lasagna and octopus tentacles. I feel like if he stuck his tongue on a window pane, it would stick in that position. Nonetheless, that is sheer talent folks.

Welcome to 2007

2007-09-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

Ah, my first blog entry. I feel like such a modern woman. It's so liberating to take off this cumbersome petticoat. To tell you the truth, I have resisted thus far anything that reeks too much of technological advancement. I'm not sure when this happened, I used to love gadgets and electronics and IM. But somewhere in the past 5 years, I have turned into Bruce Willis in "Die Hard" and become stubbornly old-school. Sure I'm on all those social networking sites but I just don't feel the urge to stalk people through Facebook and communicate with my friends through these sites when I already know their email addresses. I also once denied a good looking guy my contact information because he asked for my email address and not my telephone number. And I don't even like talking on the phone! But I have discovered part of me is very old fashioned when it comes to certain things - like courting. Or my choice of words - like courting.

My aspirations for this blog are as follows (broken down by percentage):
35% TV show reviews
45% Entertainment gossip and commentary
15% Gossip girl (aka colorful anecdotes about my friends/family/co-workers/myself)
5% Angry lunatic ravings