After the busy-ness of two weekends ago, my husband and I made the realization that we had no plans for this past weekend. We had some dinner and hang-out time with friends on Friday night, but Saturday was pretty much wide open. After doing some damage on the DVR and some clarinet serenades (now do you understand how little we had to do?), we decided to go to the movies. We haven't actually been to a movie theatre the entire month of March - since the Oscars. We set out to our local Alamo Drafthouse (Lake Creek, the red-headed step-child of the Austin Alamos) to see "I Love You, Man." An important caveat to this story - while I LOVE the concept of the Drafthouse (food and drink/booze while watching a movie), I don't really love their food - especially not any of their (in my mind) healthier fare. HOWEVER, since Lake Creek doesn't really share a menu with the others, they carry a delicious salad known as the Buffalo Chicken Salad. This was my compromise - no guilt about popcorn and sangria if I have a salad. Anyways, we arrive at Lake Creek ONE HOUR BEFORE the movie and it is sold out. There is nothing else there that we want to see, so we head back to the car. Upon calling two of the three other Drafthouses, we discover one is not showing said film and the other one is, but, you guessed, it's sold out. If this was a review about the Alamo, I would be PISSED. Next time, buy online, is all I have to say.
So...since we were in town, we decided to get some take-out and rent a movie. Predictably we grabbed Banzai - our favorite local sushi place. The food was delicious even at home, but since they drizzled some sort of sauce on my shrimp tempura roll, it was a little mushy. But not the end of the world. The miso soup was still hot and I felt satiated and pleased.
Since we couldn't view "I Love You, Man" in the environment we intended, we opted to rent "Role Models," featuring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott and McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Here's the thing - it goes just like you expect it to, so don't think they're out to fool you. But it is funny. The real stars were their mentees from Sturdy Wings - C M-P and Bobb'e J. Thompson. They play their roles well and end up being very endearing. Plus, the little one curses a lot, which my husband finds hilarious (don't we all?). Once it was over, I enjoyed it, but I probably wouldn't watch it again. I don't think it's worth a buy either, although my husband does.
We may try to venture to see "I Love You, Man" this weekend, but if not, maybe we'll just rent "Zack and Miri Make a Porno"...
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Recovery?
Last night my husband and I settled in to watch "Chuck." As some of you may remember from my last post about "Chuck," I'm getting a little frustrated with this show. This week's episode started on the journey back to a story and character I care about. Chuck did some of his own reconaissance work and was able to locate Orion - the creator of the intersect. Though it may have been a Fulcrum trap, their mission ended up being successful. It was really fun to see the General in person and to hear her compliment Chuck, especially since he may become a real spy (great guess, Will!). I really felt like the show recovered last night. The mission wasn't too outlandish - and Chuck didn't really screw it up like usual. Plus the Buy More subplot was pretty fun (I have gotten to where I really enjoy the messed-up shenanigans of Jeff and Lester - Jeffster). I am not pumped about next week's plot twist (Agent Walker - out!), but my husband reassures me that, of course, it won't stick.
Things I'm looking forward to in tv land...
Things I'm looking forward to in tv land...
- The next new episode of "The Office" - last week's episode left me shocked! I thought I knew where it was going, but I was wrong. I am INTERESTED to see how this is all resolved.
- The return of "My Boys" - I would venture to say again that this is the best show you're not watching. It is genuinely funny and if you even claim to be a Jim Gaffigan fan at all, then you must watch this show. Third season starts next Tuesday!
- The next "Real World/Road Rules Challenge" - This time it's "The Duel II." I don't know if TJ's back, but I can tell you who is: CT, Adam, Diem, Brad, Ruthie, Aneesa, Robin, EVAN (!), Paula, Ryan, drama drama drama. That one is premeiring on April 8.
- And to be totally honest with you, the last season of "The Hills" starring Lauren Conrad. She has stated that this will be her last season (good for her), so it will most likely also be mine (my husband is rejoicing somewhere). I like the show, although "The City" ended up being a little disappointing, and will stick with it till the end - premeiring on April 6.
Are you looking forward to anything?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Week in Review Wrap-Up
As my husband and I have been busy busy - I haven't been blogging! Shame! Never fear - I'll share with you all that we've been up to.
The most exciting thing of the last week or so was our outing last Saturday. My in-laws took us to see "Spamalot" at the Bass Concert Hall on the UT campus. It was a very fun and silly show. I was glad they brought in the most memorable lines and situations from the movie (killer rabbit, French insults, "the curtains?!," and the flesh wound) and twisted all that in with great musical numbers. I really loved the Lady of the Lake - what a great role to ham up! One other treat of the afternoon was that Richard Chamberlain (yes, the one who was naked in "The Thorn Birds") played King Arthur. His acting and timing were right on, but ol' Richie looks like his aging a little bit in the ol' body. I wouldn't really say he danced, but he moved around some, so that was kind of sad. Another fun thing were the references to other Monty Python works - John Cleese was the voice of God, one song made reference to "suspenders and a bra" and the song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" was used. In fact, during the bows at the end, the cast led the audience in a sing-along to that song. They also slipped in a location-wise song - during the Knights Who Say Ni bit, when the knights change their name, the end of the name was the entire "Eyes of Texas" (followed by a Patriot Act joke). I was pretty impressed that he sang the whole thing - and audiences love that crap. My one main criticism was that the second act seemed really unfocused and disjointed and then it just kind of ended with a bow on top. It was still a ton of fun, but I was kind of like, "what?" and then it was over. Next month we're seeing "Avenue Q."
After the show we drove out to Steiner Ranch Steakhouse for an early dinner. The unfortunate thing about the Steakhouse is that in Austin people only know of it because a disgruntled employee shot and killed a manager at the restaurant last year. Please, people, don't let this deter you. The food is excellent and reasonably priced (for a high-end steakhouse). We also had dinner at the Steakhouse after we saw "Legally Blonde:The Musical" last month, but I wasn't feeling well. This time, I felt better. The main drawback of this dining experience was our waiter. He was this squeaky guy in his 20's who was just kind of doing his job - no banter or anything like that. Our waiter the previous time was very distinguished, knowledgeable about the menu and wine list, and was very friendly and personable and let us take our time. Daniel - I miss you. Let me tell you about what we ate! Our appetizer was a special of asian lettuce wraps with ground sirloin. Pretty good. Last time we ordered 2 appetizers, one of them involving elk and the other was a spinach-artichoke-sort of hot dish served in a bread bowl. All good. I have ordered the same entree both times - the Pasta Light, grilled shrimp on fettucine in a garlic butter sauce. I really am more of an adventurous eater than that, but I ordered this last time because my stomach hurt, but it was so good I ordered it again. My husband and in-laws have all ordered steak something or others each time and really seemed to be pleased with those. I finished my husband's mashed potatoes and they were delicious. This time we saved room for dessert! I had an apple tart in a fried philo shell with a butter and pomegranate sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream - all very very good. The only drawback was that the tart was deconstructed so it was hard to build that perfect bite of all of the flavors. My mother-in-law ordered white chocolate mousse, smartly served in a martini glass. She let me have a bite and I really liked it. It had the consistency of a good mousse, but with the lightness of flavor that white chocolate provides. My father-in-law ordered the cheesecake and it had a blueberry-Grand Marnier sauce. The portion was huge, but it was gone quickly - I didn't get to try it. My mother-in-law pointed out that the sauce was balanced perfectly between the two flavors. No booze this time, but some good iced tea. I'm sure we'll go back.
Quick thought on "House" this week - this portion will be all about spoilers. House's patient, a nurse at a nursing home, fakes all these symptoms and ailments to be his patient because a cat sat on her desk. This cat is a pet of the nursing home (named Debbie) and if Debbie sleeps on your bed - you die. This had happened with 10 patients - and actually, this story is straight out of the news. The nurse turns out to actually have cancer, so good thing House treated her, right?! This episode addressed a little bit of my frustration from last week, as well as a divine aspect. At one point later in the episode (right around the time House should be making some realization and solving the case), Debbie the cat meanders into House's office and lies down on his laptop. He realizes that the cat is just looking for something warm. The patients all had heating pads - she's not a harbinger of death. The nurse had cancer (apparently cancer heats you). The nurse is glad for the diagnosis and House kind of comes in to gloat, I suppose. The nurse maintains that all of this has happened for a reason, and of course, House is incredulous and dismissive. She states something along the lines of, "don't you find it interesting that Debbie chose to lie on your computer at that exact moment?" That is how I feel each episode - isn't it fortunate that Wilson said something while they were in the city visiting Wilson's mentally ill brother? and so on and so forth. Is the show implying that God has a hand in House's work? Probably not. BUT it was interesting to me!
That's it for now. There may not be a new post until next week - it's going to be a great and busy weekend!
The most exciting thing of the last week or so was our outing last Saturday. My in-laws took us to see "Spamalot" at the Bass Concert Hall on the UT campus. It was a very fun and silly show. I was glad they brought in the most memorable lines and situations from the movie (killer rabbit, French insults, "the curtains?!," and the flesh wound) and twisted all that in with great musical numbers. I really loved the Lady of the Lake - what a great role to ham up! One other treat of the afternoon was that Richard Chamberlain (yes, the one who was naked in "The Thorn Birds") played King Arthur. His acting and timing were right on, but ol' Richie looks like his aging a little bit in the ol' body. I wouldn't really say he danced, but he moved around some, so that was kind of sad. Another fun thing were the references to other Monty Python works - John Cleese was the voice of God, one song made reference to "suspenders and a bra" and the song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" was used. In fact, during the bows at the end, the cast led the audience in a sing-along to that song. They also slipped in a location-wise song - during the Knights Who Say Ni bit, when the knights change their name, the end of the name was the entire "Eyes of Texas" (followed by a Patriot Act joke). I was pretty impressed that he sang the whole thing - and audiences love that crap. My one main criticism was that the second act seemed really unfocused and disjointed and then it just kind of ended with a bow on top. It was still a ton of fun, but I was kind of like, "what?" and then it was over. Next month we're seeing "Avenue Q."
After the show we drove out to Steiner Ranch Steakhouse for an early dinner. The unfortunate thing about the Steakhouse is that in Austin people only know of it because a disgruntled employee shot and killed a manager at the restaurant last year. Please, people, don't let this deter you. The food is excellent and reasonably priced (for a high-end steakhouse). We also had dinner at the Steakhouse after we saw "Legally Blonde:The Musical" last month, but I wasn't feeling well. This time, I felt better. The main drawback of this dining experience was our waiter. He was this squeaky guy in his 20's who was just kind of doing his job - no banter or anything like that. Our waiter the previous time was very distinguished, knowledgeable about the menu and wine list, and was very friendly and personable and let us take our time. Daniel - I miss you. Let me tell you about what we ate! Our appetizer was a special of asian lettuce wraps with ground sirloin. Pretty good. Last time we ordered 2 appetizers, one of them involving elk and the other was a spinach-artichoke-sort of hot dish served in a bread bowl. All good. I have ordered the same entree both times - the Pasta Light, grilled shrimp on fettucine in a garlic butter sauce. I really am more of an adventurous eater than that, but I ordered this last time because my stomach hurt, but it was so good I ordered it again. My husband and in-laws have all ordered steak something or others each time and really seemed to be pleased with those. I finished my husband's mashed potatoes and they were delicious. This time we saved room for dessert! I had an apple tart in a fried philo shell with a butter and pomegranate sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream - all very very good. The only drawback was that the tart was deconstructed so it was hard to build that perfect bite of all of the flavors. My mother-in-law ordered white chocolate mousse, smartly served in a martini glass. She let me have a bite and I really liked it. It had the consistency of a good mousse, but with the lightness of flavor that white chocolate provides. My father-in-law ordered the cheesecake and it had a blueberry-Grand Marnier sauce. The portion was huge, but it was gone quickly - I didn't get to try it. My mother-in-law pointed out that the sauce was balanced perfectly between the two flavors. No booze this time, but some good iced tea. I'm sure we'll go back.
Quick thought on "House" this week - this portion will be all about spoilers. House's patient, a nurse at a nursing home, fakes all these symptoms and ailments to be his patient because a cat sat on her desk. This cat is a pet of the nursing home (named Debbie) and if Debbie sleeps on your bed - you die. This had happened with 10 patients - and actually, this story is straight out of the news. The nurse turns out to actually have cancer, so good thing House treated her, right?! This episode addressed a little bit of my frustration from last week, as well as a divine aspect. At one point later in the episode (right around the time House should be making some realization and solving the case), Debbie the cat meanders into House's office and lies down on his laptop. He realizes that the cat is just looking for something warm. The patients all had heating pads - she's not a harbinger of death. The nurse had cancer (apparently cancer heats you). The nurse is glad for the diagnosis and House kind of comes in to gloat, I suppose. The nurse maintains that all of this has happened for a reason, and of course, House is incredulous and dismissive. She states something along the lines of, "don't you find it interesting that Debbie chose to lie on your computer at that exact moment?" That is how I feel each episode - isn't it fortunate that Wilson said something while they were in the city visiting Wilson's mentally ill brother? and so on and so forth. Is the show implying that God has a hand in House's work? Probably not. BUT it was interesting to me!
That's it for now. There may not be a new post until next week - it's going to be a great and busy weekend!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
I told you...
that "Last Restaurant Standing" would be a great replacement for "Top Chef" - because Tuesday night's episode was straight out of the "Top Chef" archives. This was a challenge episode - where the bottom 3 couples are pitted against each other for a chance to stay in the competition. The challenges are very interesting - the first was at a large petrol station, the last one was at a university, and this week's was on a plane! I'm sure you all remember "Top Chef: Miami" where the chefs had to prepare a dish for the Continental Airlines staff in order to advance from Newark, NJ to New York City. Well, this was essentially the same thing. The bottom 3 had to shop for and prepare a meal for first class that was representative of the concept and theme of their restaurant. Since there are 6 couples left, each of the challenge couples was paired up with a non-challenge couple. The chef counterpart of each pair worked together in preparation, while the front-of-house counterparts had to learn how to properly set up and serve first class all while keeping within the time limits. We did have a classic "Top Chef" faux-pas - the chef of one of the challenge teams bought frozen prawns (Spike and frozen scallops, anyone?) - big no-no. If some of you are trying to catch up with this show, I won't post any team spoilers, but there were a few things in this episode worth noting.
- As I have mentioned before, the head judge is Raymond Blanc, a French chef and restauranteur. The ultimate prize of the show is to open a restaurant with him. I'm pretty sure this is the first time he has tasted the chef's food since the very first episode - or, as my husband pointed out, as far as we know. That was kind of exciting, but probably kind of a bummer for the teams who were in the clear - that would seem to be good exposure.
- One of the other two judges was initially forgotten by two of the three teams. I could see that happening once, but twice! That was pretty crazy.
- The prize for winning this challenge (besides staying on the show) was kind of a big one. If your meal and presentation won, this particular airline would start serving your dish. Kind of cool, especially if they advertised it with your restaurant name.
- Lastly, even though this challenge didn't take place in a restaurant, it further solidified the connection between quality food and quality service as the key to success in the food world. This show really highlights both of those aspects, which I've never really seen in a reality cooking show before. Good job, BBC!
Exasperated
This is how I feel about a lot of tv shows I have been watching as of late. Most often mentioned was this past season of "The Bachelor," but this extends to 'scripted' shows as well (no "Hills" or "City" cracks, please). I guess I just need some resolution or something.
First up, "Chuck" (I just said upchuck, hahaha). I realize that my husband, myself, and my in-laws are the only ones watching this show, but more people should. If you need a little Seth Cohen in your life now, Chuck Bartowski is your man. To get you up to speed, Chuck (Zachary Levi) is a twenty-something-year-old guy, working at Buy More (Best Buy), but he also has goverment secrets in his head like he's a human hard drive or something. Since he is a valuable government asset, he is monitored by two handlers - Sarah Walker of the CIA (Yvonne Strahovski) and John Casey of the NSA (Adam Baldwin, no, not those Baldwins). Chuck and Sarah are in a cover relationship, but Chuck is really in love with Sarah and she may be in love with him. So basically I'm really freaking frustrated because Chuck is a nice guy who doesn't deserve to have this information in his head and he can't have a normal relationship because he's in a fake relationship (although he did try to have a secret relationship with Rachel Bilson, I'm not kidding about this Seth Cohen thing). I feel bad for the guy and I am not into the Ross-Rachel, will they/won't they thing. So...exasperated.
"Terminator:Sarah Connor Chronicles" - Full disclosure time people - I have not seen any of the Terminator movies. I, more often that not, have no idea what is going on with the show anyways, plus my husband (who has seen all of the movies) can't even really fit this in with the Terminator storyline. Talk about frustrated! The first season was pretty good, fast-moving and whatnot. Now it's at this mopey standstill, although someone did get killed last Friday. I kind of feel like, let's resolve all this time travel nonsense and I don't know what because I don't know what happens. One MAJOR plus is the addition of Shirley Manson to the cast. This woman is PHENOMENAL. Best robot ever - except for Summer Glau as Cameron. I don't know if it's a compliment to be able to play a robot well, but these ladies handle it!
A fellow blogger mentioned the P-L-A-Y-E-D nature of this past week's "30 Rock" and I will agree that the Liz-baby, Tracy-Jenna storylines are a little washed. But my favorite dynamic is that between Liz and Jack anyways, so I'm doing pretty good on that front. Plus - Kenneth.
"House" is the other one that's got me frustrated. The Foreman-Thirteen relationship seems forced, and House and Cuddy get into that whole Ross-Rachel territory. Again - the best dynamic is that of Taub and Kutner. I did like the look into House and Wilson's relationship this week. It's nice to have friends. Plus - the plot is kind of the same each week. Unsolvable case, some random something that applies to it in House's personal life - case solved. There's no variance, except for the patience and the illness.
Last, but not least - "Project Runway." I'm just ready for the Weinsteins (or whoever) to get over themselves and get this business on the air. I don't watch "Make Me a Supermodel," so my Wednesdays are empty now!!!
First up, "Chuck" (I just said upchuck, hahaha). I realize that my husband, myself, and my in-laws are the only ones watching this show, but more people should. If you need a little Seth Cohen in your life now, Chuck Bartowski is your man. To get you up to speed, Chuck (Zachary Levi) is a twenty-something-year-old guy, working at Buy More (Best Buy), but he also has goverment secrets in his head like he's a human hard drive or something. Since he is a valuable government asset, he is monitored by two handlers - Sarah Walker of the CIA (Yvonne Strahovski) and John Casey of the NSA (Adam Baldwin, no, not those Baldwins). Chuck and Sarah are in a cover relationship, but Chuck is really in love with Sarah and she may be in love with him. So basically I'm really freaking frustrated because Chuck is a nice guy who doesn't deserve to have this information in his head and he can't have a normal relationship because he's in a fake relationship (although he did try to have a secret relationship with Rachel Bilson, I'm not kidding about this Seth Cohen thing). I feel bad for the guy and I am not into the Ross-Rachel, will they/won't they thing. So...exasperated.
"Terminator:Sarah Connor Chronicles" - Full disclosure time people - I have not seen any of the Terminator movies. I, more often that not, have no idea what is going on with the show anyways, plus my husband (who has seen all of the movies) can't even really fit this in with the Terminator storyline. Talk about frustrated! The first season was pretty good, fast-moving and whatnot. Now it's at this mopey standstill, although someone did get killed last Friday. I kind of feel like, let's resolve all this time travel nonsense and I don't know what because I don't know what happens. One MAJOR plus is the addition of Shirley Manson to the cast. This woman is PHENOMENAL. Best robot ever - except for Summer Glau as Cameron. I don't know if it's a compliment to be able to play a robot well, but these ladies handle it!
A fellow blogger mentioned the P-L-A-Y-E-D nature of this past week's "30 Rock" and I will agree that the Liz-baby, Tracy-Jenna storylines are a little washed. But my favorite dynamic is that between Liz and Jack anyways, so I'm doing pretty good on that front. Plus - Kenneth.
"House" is the other one that's got me frustrated. The Foreman-Thirteen relationship seems forced, and House and Cuddy get into that whole Ross-Rachel territory. Again - the best dynamic is that of Taub and Kutner. I did like the look into House and Wilson's relationship this week. It's nice to have friends. Plus - the plot is kind of the same each week. Unsolvable case, some random something that applies to it in House's personal life - case solved. There's no variance, except for the patience and the illness.
Last, but not least - "Project Runway." I'm just ready for the Weinsteins (or whoever) to get over themselves and get this business on the air. I don't watch "Make Me a Supermodel," so my Wednesdays are empty now!!!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Reunion wrap-up + long-promised preview/review
Well, readers, it has been a week of reunions in the world (or my world, I suppose) of reality tv. Let's get to it.
"The Bachelor: After the Final Rose, Part Two" - I'm not kidding, that's the full name. This hour was just about as throw-away as I expected it to be. Probably the weirdest part was the opening where they threw together Naomi, Kari (my husband kept asking who she was), Nikki, Erica, and Stephanie to rap about the shocking ending. I totally buy Naomi and Stephanie being there - they made it pretty far, had all kissed Jason, knew the girls - but the other 3 were kind of random. To my unsettled surprise, most of them seemed to support Jason, because they all knew what it was like to be in love with him and they knew he had a tough choice. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Maybe they were just really glad they weren't part of this switcheroo, but I mean, come on, stand up for your fellow ladies! He did you girls wrong! So that was a little disappointing, not to mention pointless. They did take some comments from audience members, so that was kind of cool. But again, these people weren't there. Move it along, Chris! He does by reading a quote from Melissa, who obviously didn't want to be there. She's doing surprisingly well, glad things played out the way they did (I also read a statement from her that mentioned she had been extended the offer to be the next Bachelorette, but turned it down as she has decided her reality tv days are over). Love her. So then they bring Molly out and Chris talks to her about how and why she took Jason back - stellar question. She said she never fell out of love with him and she grilled him the night of the first 'After the Final Rose.' In this case, I agree with what Trista Sutter (the first Bachelorette) has said about this whole thing - it would be really hard to trust someone when you knew they have already picked someone else over you. Blah blah blah, bring out Jason. He again said he didn't have any regrets and didn't want to. My main question here is - don't you kind of regret needlessly breaking Melissa's heart? I mean, I know it only made his relationship with Molly stronger, and of course Melissa is better off, but wouldn't you kind of wish you had seen the forest for the trees and picked your right girl in the first place? I mean, I do. I dated some lame guys - they did get me ready for my husband, but there is a part of me that wishes I could have avoided some of that. ANYWAYS, long story short, they did actually appear really into each other, which is good, and Molly will be moving to Seattle. Plus they gave them the tent from their first one-on-one date. Now it's Bachelorette announcement time! And it is none other than America's Canadian Sweetheart - Jillian. I had previously stated that unless Stephanie or Melissa were the next bachelorette, I was done with this franchise (sorry, Chris!). We'll see how long this resolve lasts since - what else am I going to watch this summer?
"Top Chef: New York" Reunion Special - Hosted by the ever-lovely Andy Cohen, featuring, I believe, all of the contestants and judges. What a treat! I think my favorite part about these reunions are the previously un-aired footage along with the montages. Favorite un-aired moment - Jamie and Leah drunk at Judge's Table. HILARIOUS. Most of the montages concerning Stefan were great as well. Everyone seemed to be getting along, so that was also a plus. Hosea and Leah have both been broken up with by their significant others and are not together, though they mentioned that if they were in the same place they would give it a try. Fabio was voted fan favorite. Fabio's mother and Hosea's father are not doing well, and they showed a picture from Gail's wedding!!! Pretty good special, nothing earth-shattering.
So what will you watch now, you ask? I recommend "Last Restaurant Standing" on BBC America. The premise is: world-renowned restauranteur Raymond Blanc (my husband says he must not be that famous since he hasn't been on "Top Chef") has selected 9 couples with which he would possibly like to open a restaurant. One half of the couple is the executive chef, while the other half is in charge of front-of-house. Raymond also has two restaurant expert judges to form a panel. He gives each couple an actual restaurant and they have challenges and are eliminated. At the end, the winning couple gets to open a restaurant with Mr. Blanc. My husband and I were initially confused by the format, so I'm going to lay it all out for you. Each episode is an hour and a couple is only eliminated every other episode. So one episode they have a particular challenge that they have to execute within their restaurant. They meet with Raymond and the judges and one restaurant is selected 'restaurant of the week' and 3 couples are selected to go into the challenge. The next episode is the challenge - they are thrown into a different part of the food world and must adapt excel because otherwise they are eliminated. In these challenges, the members of the other couples are split up into the challenge couples, making for a sort of team challenge. The thing I really like about this show is that it is more about restaurants than cooking. I am learning how hard it is to run the front-of-the-house and that good food really matters. It is filmed in Britain (one guy looks like he is straight out of Wallace & Gromit, I swear) and Raymond is French, so the accents are struggle, but we have found it very compelling. I really recommend adding it to your weekly viewing if you have BBC America and are looking for another food-related competition. Woo!
"The Bachelor: After the Final Rose, Part Two" - I'm not kidding, that's the full name. This hour was just about as throw-away as I expected it to be. Probably the weirdest part was the opening where they threw together Naomi, Kari (my husband kept asking who she was), Nikki, Erica, and Stephanie to rap about the shocking ending. I totally buy Naomi and Stephanie being there - they made it pretty far, had all kissed Jason, knew the girls - but the other 3 were kind of random. To my unsettled surprise, most of them seemed to support Jason, because they all knew what it was like to be in love with him and they knew he had a tough choice. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Maybe they were just really glad they weren't part of this switcheroo, but I mean, come on, stand up for your fellow ladies! He did you girls wrong! So that was a little disappointing, not to mention pointless. They did take some comments from audience members, so that was kind of cool. But again, these people weren't there. Move it along, Chris! He does by reading a quote from Melissa, who obviously didn't want to be there. She's doing surprisingly well, glad things played out the way they did (I also read a statement from her that mentioned she had been extended the offer to be the next Bachelorette, but turned it down as she has decided her reality tv days are over). Love her. So then they bring Molly out and Chris talks to her about how and why she took Jason back - stellar question. She said she never fell out of love with him and she grilled him the night of the first 'After the Final Rose.' In this case, I agree with what Trista Sutter (the first Bachelorette) has said about this whole thing - it would be really hard to trust someone when you knew they have already picked someone else over you. Blah blah blah, bring out Jason. He again said he didn't have any regrets and didn't want to. My main question here is - don't you kind of regret needlessly breaking Melissa's heart? I mean, I know it only made his relationship with Molly stronger, and of course Melissa is better off, but wouldn't you kind of wish you had seen the forest for the trees and picked your right girl in the first place? I mean, I do. I dated some lame guys - they did get me ready for my husband, but there is a part of me that wishes I could have avoided some of that. ANYWAYS, long story short, they did actually appear really into each other, which is good, and Molly will be moving to Seattle. Plus they gave them the tent from their first one-on-one date. Now it's Bachelorette announcement time! And it is none other than America's Canadian Sweetheart - Jillian. I had previously stated that unless Stephanie or Melissa were the next bachelorette, I was done with this franchise (sorry, Chris!). We'll see how long this resolve lasts since - what else am I going to watch this summer?
"Top Chef: New York" Reunion Special - Hosted by the ever-lovely Andy Cohen, featuring, I believe, all of the contestants and judges. What a treat! I think my favorite part about these reunions are the previously un-aired footage along with the montages. Favorite un-aired moment - Jamie and Leah drunk at Judge's Table. HILARIOUS. Most of the montages concerning Stefan were great as well. Everyone seemed to be getting along, so that was also a plus. Hosea and Leah have both been broken up with by their significant others and are not together, though they mentioned that if they were in the same place they would give it a try. Fabio was voted fan favorite. Fabio's mother and Hosea's father are not doing well, and they showed a picture from Gail's wedding!!! Pretty good special, nothing earth-shattering.
So what will you watch now, you ask? I recommend "Last Restaurant Standing" on BBC America. The premise is: world-renowned restauranteur Raymond Blanc (my husband says he must not be that famous since he hasn't been on "Top Chef") has selected 9 couples with which he would possibly like to open a restaurant. One half of the couple is the executive chef, while the other half is in charge of front-of-house. Raymond also has two restaurant expert judges to form a panel. He gives each couple an actual restaurant and they have challenges and are eliminated. At the end, the winning couple gets to open a restaurant with Mr. Blanc. My husband and I were initially confused by the format, so I'm going to lay it all out for you. Each episode is an hour and a couple is only eliminated every other episode. So one episode they have a particular challenge that they have to execute within their restaurant. They meet with Raymond and the judges and one restaurant is selected 'restaurant of the week' and 3 couples are selected to go into the challenge. The next episode is the challenge - they are thrown into a different part of the food world and must adapt excel because otherwise they are eliminated. In these challenges, the members of the other couples are split up into the challenge couples, making for a sort of team challenge. The thing I really like about this show is that it is more about restaurants than cooking. I am learning how hard it is to run the front-of-the-house and that good food really matters. It is filmed in Britain (one guy looks like he is straight out of Wallace & Gromit, I swear) and Raymond is French, so the accents are struggle, but we have found it very compelling. I really recommend adding it to your weekly viewing if you have BBC America and are looking for another food-related competition. Woo!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
I will not accept this rose...
Congrats, ABC, you've done it again - pulled off "the most shocking and dramatic finale/after the rose special in Bachelor history." Oh, yes, along with most other females in my age group across this great country of ours, I watched 3 hours of "The Bachelor" last night with bated breath, only to be continually jerked around by ABC and Jason Mesnick. Good Lord.
Let me tell you about my history with "The Bachelor/ette." Of the 13 seasons of "The Bachelor," I have watched 4. Of the 4 seasons of "The Bachelorette," I have watched 2. I was first introduced to the show by my freshman year roommate. We watched Aaron Buerge smash 3 ladies into the ground (our favorite was Gwen - second runner-up). Then ABC so smartly brought Trista Rehn (first runner-up from the first season of "The Bachelor") back for the first season of "The Bachelorette." As said roommate had already watched Trista get crushed in the first season, we of course watched Trista's search for love (did I mention that some hall-mates of ours seriously considered a tv intervention in the form of stealing our tv? this may have had something to do with the fact that we would tape stuff in our room, someone else's room, and then watch tv in a third person's room - in hindsight, the intervention may have been a good idea). But as this roommate moved on to another college and I moved onto another roommate (the one who let us watch her tv while we were taping in two other rooms), "The Bachelor" and its derivations fell by the wayside. I didn't even watch Trista and Ryan's wedding.
Fast forward to my after college roommate. She DVRed the entire season of "The Bachelor:Rome" - you know the one with the 'Italian' 'prince' who didn't speak Italian? Enter Ice Storm 07 and a marathon watch session/DVR cleaning out and ABC had me back, even though Lorenzo didn't pick our fave (Sadie). Then, in a GENIUS MOVE, ABC picked a bachelor from Austin - my hometown. Well, I had to watch it (although as a rule, I am not a patron of his bars due to the cast of "The Real World:Austin" - wow, this post is not endearing me as particularly intelligent or social). Then Brad Womack did the unthinkable, and the most awesome thing I have seen to date on this meat market of a show, he didn't pick either girl! People were pissed! Not me, though. I applauded Brad for his honesty, I mean what are the actual chances of finding true love on a reality show with 25 women picked out for you by producers? I mean, really. I read this week that Brad actually knew none of the women were right for him much earlier than the final rose ceremony, but he was contractually obligated to go through the rest of the hoopla. So then jilted DeAnna is the new bachelorette, so I'm already sucked in, and then they go ahead and keep recycling and pick Jason for the new bachelor and now you're up to speed.
My husband and I actually watched this season together, which I really appreciated. We both got into it, had a clear favorite, made fun of everyone else along the way, and were generally glad that we met each other at a club like normal people. We were way pulling for Melissa, though we both had a soft spot for Stephanie, and had a categorical dislike for Molly. Imagine our elation when he finally proposed to Melissa. And then just like that, ABC ripped it away. It didn't even last 5 minutes (much like their relationship - OH!!!). Then Molly just took him back like it ain't no thang. Really? Does this happen in real life? Overall, I feel duped and confused and I don't like Jason anymore. I'm glad he gave ABC some genuine drama, but was it worth it to break two women's hearts in the end? Did the arbitrary DeAnna appearance ensure a confusing finale? Maybe we'll find out tonight on part 2 of "After the Final Rose."
Something I haven't mentioned...Chris Harrison. I'll tell you why - I love the guy. He has the best job and seems to have genuine relationships with these crazy contestants. In his blog this week on ew.com he mentioned that the next time he and his wife go to Dallas, Melissa will be the first one they call to go grab a cold one. Well, Chris and Mrs. Harrison - let me extend the offer that the next time you're in Austin, we'll go grab a cold one. I didn't really love the way he had to coddle the break-up along last night, that was uncomfortable and awkward. But I guess when your contract mandates it (on all sides) you just have to grin and bear it. And while we're talking about ew.com, check out their recaps blog as well. I can only hope to learn to write that way - it's phenomenal. Here's a tease from this week's edition entitled "This is (not) your wife": "And by 'putting it all out there,' she means mounting him on a rented massage table and tenderizing him with baby oil like the big piece of beefcake that he is." I KNOW - AWESOME.
Quick clarification of my "Top Chef" post - I didn't want to imply that I thought that Hosea didn't deserve to win - he apparently cooked the best meal. I only wanted to express my disappointment that Carla (especially) and Stefan did not rise to this particular challenge. Thank you.
Let me tell you about my history with "The Bachelor/ette." Of the 13 seasons of "The Bachelor," I have watched 4. Of the 4 seasons of "The Bachelorette," I have watched 2. I was first introduced to the show by my freshman year roommate. We watched Aaron Buerge smash 3 ladies into the ground (our favorite was Gwen - second runner-up). Then ABC so smartly brought Trista Rehn (first runner-up from the first season of "The Bachelor") back for the first season of "The Bachelorette." As said roommate had already watched Trista get crushed in the first season, we of course watched Trista's search for love (did I mention that some hall-mates of ours seriously considered a tv intervention in the form of stealing our tv? this may have had something to do with the fact that we would tape stuff in our room, someone else's room, and then watch tv in a third person's room - in hindsight, the intervention may have been a good idea). But as this roommate moved on to another college and I moved onto another roommate (the one who let us watch her tv while we were taping in two other rooms), "The Bachelor" and its derivations fell by the wayside. I didn't even watch Trista and Ryan's wedding.
Fast forward to my after college roommate. She DVRed the entire season of "The Bachelor:Rome" - you know the one with the 'Italian' 'prince' who didn't speak Italian? Enter Ice Storm 07 and a marathon watch session/DVR cleaning out and ABC had me back, even though Lorenzo didn't pick our fave (Sadie). Then, in a GENIUS MOVE, ABC picked a bachelor from Austin - my hometown. Well, I had to watch it (although as a rule, I am not a patron of his bars due to the cast of "The Real World:Austin" - wow, this post is not endearing me as particularly intelligent or social). Then Brad Womack did the unthinkable, and the most awesome thing I have seen to date on this meat market of a show, he didn't pick either girl! People were pissed! Not me, though. I applauded Brad for his honesty, I mean what are the actual chances of finding true love on a reality show with 25 women picked out for you by producers? I mean, really. I read this week that Brad actually knew none of the women were right for him much earlier than the final rose ceremony, but he was contractually obligated to go through the rest of the hoopla. So then jilted DeAnna is the new bachelorette, so I'm already sucked in, and then they go ahead and keep recycling and pick Jason for the new bachelor and now you're up to speed.
My husband and I actually watched this season together, which I really appreciated. We both got into it, had a clear favorite, made fun of everyone else along the way, and were generally glad that we met each other at a club like normal people. We were way pulling for Melissa, though we both had a soft spot for Stephanie, and had a categorical dislike for Molly. Imagine our elation when he finally proposed to Melissa. And then just like that, ABC ripped it away. It didn't even last 5 minutes (much like their relationship - OH!!!). Then Molly just took him back like it ain't no thang. Really? Does this happen in real life? Overall, I feel duped and confused and I don't like Jason anymore. I'm glad he gave ABC some genuine drama, but was it worth it to break two women's hearts in the end? Did the arbitrary DeAnna appearance ensure a confusing finale? Maybe we'll find out tonight on part 2 of "After the Final Rose."
Something I haven't mentioned...Chris Harrison. I'll tell you why - I love the guy. He has the best job and seems to have genuine relationships with these crazy contestants. In his blog this week on ew.com he mentioned that the next time he and his wife go to Dallas, Melissa will be the first one they call to go grab a cold one. Well, Chris and Mrs. Harrison - let me extend the offer that the next time you're in Austin, we'll go grab a cold one. I didn't really love the way he had to coddle the break-up along last night, that was uncomfortable and awkward. But I guess when your contract mandates it (on all sides) you just have to grin and bear it. And while we're talking about ew.com, check out their recaps blog as well. I can only hope to learn to write that way - it's phenomenal. Here's a tease from this week's edition entitled "This is (not) your wife": "And by 'putting it all out there,' she means mounting him on a rented massage table and tenderizing him with baby oil like the big piece of beefcake that he is." I KNOW - AWESOME.
Quick clarification of my "Top Chef" post - I didn't want to imply that I thought that Hosea didn't deserve to win - he apparently cooked the best meal. I only wanted to express my disappointment that Carla (especially) and Stefan did not rise to this particular challenge. Thank you.
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