No - not on this blog. Yet. Although I totally understand why you're thinking that...
Either way, I thought I would re-visit this blog and post on a different, but related, subject - giving up on a TV show. I don't really do this readily (as evidenced by my continued viewing of all facets of "The Bachelor" franchise), but sometimes, man, things just get too hard to watch. Now I'm not really talking about shows you sort of end up sliding in and out of, with no real thought as to why you started or stopped in the first place, but shows where you make a conscious decision to quit. For good.
The first show I purposely quit watching was "Nip/Tuck." My husband (boyfriend at the time) and I devoured the first season. It was excessive, silly, over-the-top, icky, and just fun to watch. Once we got our hands on the second season our interest and tolerance waned quickly. I lost my patience for the epic rounds of bad decisions and the terrible way the characters treated each other. Were there no redeeming people left on this show after 1.5 seasons? Apparently not. As we were slogging through this second season, the final season of "Six Feet Under" came out on DVD. We watched the whole thing in one weekend and never picked up "Nip/Tuck" again - I felt like that action kind of said it all. And to be honest, I haven't even thought much about the show since.
More recently, though, we made the decision to stop watching "Glee." I know a lot of people thought "Glee" became unwatchable during the second season (or that it wasn't watchable in the first place), but I didn't have that problem. I even continued to enjoy it even through the third season (thanks, in large part, to Brittany S. Pierce). But Rachel Berry just got to be such a laborious character and especially once she and Kurt moved to NYC in the fourth season, I realized I could not CARE LESS about her or most of the storylines (involving new or old characters). The episodes were either too heavy-handed or too saccharine and I hated the high production value of the musical numbers. They were too over-produced and the kids just can't act and lip sync well enough to make it all believable. Some of them can sing very well, but I felt like it was hidden with auto-tune and instrumentation. But more than anything, it wasn't fun to watch the show any more. I didn't look forward to the next episodes. It felt like a chore, like an hour I had to get through once a week. I don't think that's what television is about, folks.
A few weeks ago I realized that I had stopped watching "Grey's Anatomy." I used to DVR it, but since I'm the only one in my household that watches it, I started cancelling it to free up that precious Thursday night space. No worries, I could just watch it on demand. I kept up with that pretty well until a 2 or 3 month spot when I didn't have time to watch anything on my own and then all of a sudden I had missed episodes that were no longer on demand. I quickly came to the realization that I hadn't really missed it at all. It was a fun time-waster to watch on my own, but I didn't care about it that much and again, some times the plots were just too labored. Just like that - I don't watch any Shonda Rhimes shows any more. Who knew it was possible?!
What about you? Have you quit any shows? Have you quit any of these shows? Do you think I should make up with one of these shows? I would love to know!
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Not too shabby...
I did actually squeeze in some viewing (movie and otherwise) over the long weekend, although I bet none of it will end up being Oscar-worthy. And you know what? There's nothing wrong with that!
On Sunday we spent like $100 to see 30 Minutes or Less (I am including one medium drink and one medium popcorn in that price). This movie stars Jesse Eisenberg as a slacker, pizza delivery boy. He is kidnapped on a delivery run and then armed with bomb vest and tasked to steal $100k from a local bank and convinces his estranged best friend (Aziz Ansari) to go a long for the ride. His kidnappers are played by Danny McBride and Nick Swardson (I know, best idea ever). Our friend who read some reviews before the movie read one that said something along the lines of, "if you like to laugh at funny things, then watch this movie." The movie is super-fun and ridiculous and has a lot of funny things at which to laugh. I was not disappointed at all and I was very entertained. What else can you ask for?
We then continued our Danny McBride Love Fest by watching the first season of Eastbound & Down. See above review. Super-raunchy, ridiculous, and just entertaining from start to finish. However, there is still meaningful character development for Kenny Powers and his brother (played by John Hawkes of Winter's Bone) as well as his sister-in-law. I hear the second season is currently streaming on Netflix.
And since we hadn't ingested enough just ridiculous for the sake of being ridiculous media - we also took in Hot Tub Time Machine. This movie stars John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Chevy Chase, and Crispin Glover. It is about a hot tub that is a time machine, taking some of these men from some sort of present time to the '80's. Really fun, really clever, and I absolutely LOVED Clark Duke as Jacob/the voice of reason and normalcy. Or somewhat normal.
Overall, if you like laughing at funny, stupid, silly things - then you will like all of these things.
On Sunday we spent like $100 to see 30 Minutes or Less (I am including one medium drink and one medium popcorn in that price). This movie stars Jesse Eisenberg as a slacker, pizza delivery boy. He is kidnapped on a delivery run and then armed with bomb vest and tasked to steal $100k from a local bank and convinces his estranged best friend (Aziz Ansari) to go a long for the ride. His kidnappers are played by Danny McBride and Nick Swardson (I know, best idea ever). Our friend who read some reviews before the movie read one that said something along the lines of, "if you like to laugh at funny things, then watch this movie." The movie is super-fun and ridiculous and has a lot of funny things at which to laugh. I was not disappointed at all and I was very entertained. What else can you ask for?
We then continued our Danny McBride Love Fest by watching the first season of Eastbound & Down. See above review. Super-raunchy, ridiculous, and just entertaining from start to finish. However, there is still meaningful character development for Kenny Powers and his brother (played by John Hawkes of Winter's Bone) as well as his sister-in-law. I hear the second season is currently streaming on Netflix.
And since we hadn't ingested enough just ridiculous for the sake of being ridiculous media - we also took in Hot Tub Time Machine. This movie stars John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Chevy Chase, and Crispin Glover. It is about a hot tub that is a time machine, taking some of these men from some sort of present time to the '80's. Really fun, really clever, and I absolutely LOVED Clark Duke as Jacob/the voice of reason and normalcy. Or somewhat normal.
Overall, if you like laughing at funny, stupid, silly things - then you will like all of these things.
Friday, November 19, 2010
"If they invented facebook, they would have invented facebook!"
I was watching Conan last night and Jesse Eisenberg was one of the guests. This reminded me that I never posted a review of The Social Network.
My husband and I saw it at the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek about a month ago and I remember really enjoying it start to finish. However, in the days and weeks since, it's been kind of clanging around in my head. But not in an interesting, let's-think-about-it way like Inception, more like it wasn't super-memorable. I've been wondering why. I know you're thinking it was the glass of wine or whatever I had during my dinner-and-a-movie, but my husband and I split a bucket of beer at Inception, and I remember a whole hell of a lot more about that movie.
Seeing Jesse Eisenberg on Conan was a great refresher. Jesse Eisenberg (and Justin Timberlake) is what made the movie so great. The movie, if you don't know, is about the beginning of facebook. How it came together at Harvard at the beginning of the decade and how it almost fell apart upon the business's move to California. Of course, it follows Mark Zuckerberg as well, as the two seem more and more inseparable as the movie rolls on. It's an interesting story of relationships and status (to be honest), and what else is facebook about really?
However, Jesse Eisenberg, though his character (Mark Zuckerberg) is somewhat unassuming, commands your attention throughout the entire movie. He is in such control of himself, his emotions, his speech, that you are really interested by this character/person. After watching it, though, I was kind of like, "yeah, he was good, but isn't he just like that?" He is not - is what I found out on Conan last night. He is awkward, unsure, and self-deprecating. And loves cats (he fosters cats, isn't that so nice?!). He seemed like such a nice guy, but not necessarily at all like the cocky programmer he portrayed on screen. The Oscar buzz for his performance is still strong, so you may want to head out and catch this one if you still can. It also features great support performances from Justin Timberlake (as Sean Parker), Andrew Garfield (the new Spider-Man), and this guy who plays the Winkelvoss twins. It's interesting for anyone who uses facebook, which is everyone (except my mom, thank God). At the very least watch the trailer, which may be one of my favorite trailers of all time.
On a related note, are you watching Conan? I am, and DVR-ing it as well. I really like it and I don't want to let Conan down like I did with the The Tonight Show (I only watched his first and last episodes, but to be fair, I go to bed at the time that show comes on; how my parents watch so much of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson - I will never understand). I'm ready for the show (so glad Andy Richter is back!) to get into a groove and get some recurring bits, but I'm sticking with it for now (I kind of miss watching Family Guy, though).
My husband and I saw it at the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek about a month ago and I remember really enjoying it start to finish. However, in the days and weeks since, it's been kind of clanging around in my head. But not in an interesting, let's-think-about-it way like Inception, more like it wasn't super-memorable. I've been wondering why. I know you're thinking it was the glass of wine or whatever I had during my dinner-and-a-movie, but my husband and I split a bucket of beer at Inception, and I remember a whole hell of a lot more about that movie.
Seeing Jesse Eisenberg on Conan was a great refresher. Jesse Eisenberg (and Justin Timberlake) is what made the movie so great. The movie, if you don't know, is about the beginning of facebook. How it came together at Harvard at the beginning of the decade and how it almost fell apart upon the business's move to California. Of course, it follows Mark Zuckerberg as well, as the two seem more and more inseparable as the movie rolls on. It's an interesting story of relationships and status (to be honest), and what else is facebook about really?
However, Jesse Eisenberg, though his character (Mark Zuckerberg) is somewhat unassuming, commands your attention throughout the entire movie. He is in such control of himself, his emotions, his speech, that you are really interested by this character/person. After watching it, though, I was kind of like, "yeah, he was good, but isn't he just like that?" He is not - is what I found out on Conan last night. He is awkward, unsure, and self-deprecating. And loves cats (he fosters cats, isn't that so nice?!). He seemed like such a nice guy, but not necessarily at all like the cocky programmer he portrayed on screen. The Oscar buzz for his performance is still strong, so you may want to head out and catch this one if you still can. It also features great support performances from Justin Timberlake (as Sean Parker), Andrew Garfield (the new Spider-Man), and this guy who plays the Winkelvoss twins. It's interesting for anyone who uses facebook, which is everyone (except my mom, thank God). At the very least watch the trailer, which may be one of my favorite trailers of all time.
On a related note, are you watching Conan? I am, and DVR-ing it as well. I really like it and I don't want to let Conan down like I did with the The Tonight Show (I only watched his first and last episodes, but to be fair, I go to bed at the time that show comes on; how my parents watch so much of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson - I will never understand). I'm ready for the show (so glad Andy Richter is back!) to get into a groove and get some recurring bits, but I'm sticking with it for now (I kind of miss watching Family Guy, though).
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Blogging Oscar Hopefuls
I know I kind of dropped the ball on my 'Top Chef' review/recap posts. I discovered quickly that pausing and rewinding and note-taking during my initial viewing of each episode (usually on their first-run-time, which is late for me!) really diminished my enjoyment of the show. My next plan of attack was to save them on the DVR and do a re-watch. Worked better, but ended up being very time-consuming - meaning it was hard to find a 2-hour block in which to do this. I will try to redeem myself for the finale episodes, but don't spoil tonight's because I will not be watching it. My husband is out-of-town for a conference and it's something we watch together. Onward...
My dear readers followed me last year on my 2nd attempt to watch every movie (and short) nominated for an Oscar (the ones they show on tv, not the ones given out 2 days before). I believe I'm committed for a 3rd year, so I thought I'd go ahead and get started and tell you about the ones I've seen. This list is based on predictions made on Vanity Fair's "Little Gold Men" blog - my foremost source on Oscar action. Let us commence!
* "Where the Wild Things Are" (Dark Horse prediction for Best Picture and Best Director, prediction for Best Adapted Screenplay; I would at least add a pick for both Best Original Score and Best Costume) - I may be one of the few who genuinely liked this movie. I was so excited about it as soon as I learned Spike Jonze and Karen O were attached to it and got goosebumps each time I saw the beautiful, emotional trailer featuring "Wake Up" by the Arcade Fire. I liked that the fuzzy line between fantasy and reality is never addressed and leaves the viewer to decide. I know a lot of people thought this movie was too angry for a 'children's movie,' but the whole story is about an angry kid, of course his fantasy (or experience...) are going to reflect that. The monsters were fun and monster-y. I will say that it did drag a bit and felt much longer than it's 90 minutes. Best Picture - no, but Good Picture - yes.
* "The Hangover" (Dark Horse prediction for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor - Zach Galifianakis) - It's possible "The Hangover" may be the reason for the Best Picture category to now include 10 films. The critical and commercial ($$$) acclaim for this movie was outstanding. I believe the thought is, why shouldn't a fun, funny, raunchy movie be the Best Picture of the year? Everyone freakin' loved it, including myself. I laughed the entire time, even when it got a little ridiculous - and anytime Zach G. can get some attention, I'm there. I don't think it will win Best Picture, but the consideration is well deserved.
* "Public Enemies" (Dark Horse prediction for Best Picture and Best Actor - Johnny Depp) - Has Johnny Depp won an Oscar yet? He should have. Although I wanted this movie to come together a little better, Johnny Depp is sensational and sympathetic as bank robber (and murderer, I suppose) John Dillinger. The ending is a bit anti-climactic and Christian Bale doesn't quite deliver, but it was a fun night at the movies (I remember we were at the Drafthouse and I had their Green Chile Mac & Cheese, highly recommended). Again - a no on Best Picture (I don't think it will be nominated), but I think it's possible Johnny could pull down a statue for this one.
* "Star Trek" (Dark Horse prediction for Best Picture, surely at least effects nominiations) - I actually have never watched the original "Star Trek" series (I was more of a 'Next Generation' sort of girl), but this movie made me want to. This interpretation, set in the future or the past, is fast-paced (but not in a breakneck-I-have-no-idea-what's-going-on type of way) and fun the whole way through. I'm sure it was filled with great bits for Trekkies, but is easily as enjoyable for someone not too familiar with the backstory (myself). The character development and effects were great and I was never bored. This film definitely deserves recognition.
* "Julie & Julia" (prediction for Best Actress - Meryl Streep; Best Supporting Actor - Stanley Tucci; Dark Horse prediction for Best Adapted Screenplay) - I know I'm hearing a collective "duh" out there. Meryl Streep is so hot right now - and you all know it. She shines in this movie and as best I can tell, really captures the natural charm of Julia Child. I found I looked forward to the Julia parts more than the Julie parts while watching and I love Amy Adams, too. I think Stanley Tucci is a stretch for a nomination. He is supporting so far as he plays a very supportive spouse, but I wouldn't say he's particularly special in this role. I like him, so the recognition is exciting. I don't think it will end up with Best Adapted Screenplay - the real magic here was adapting the blog into the book - the movie part is easier after that (I guess except for the incorporation of the Julia Child story...hmm...let me think on this...). For sure Meryl (at least) will get nominated and not having seen any of the other films, I'd give her at least a 50% shot at winning at this point.
* "Up" (prediction for Best Animated Film and Best Original Screenplay) - Total dead lock for Best Animated Film. Like "Wall-E" before it, this movie should be up for Best Picture, hands down. If you didn't see this in 3-D, you missed out, but you should still run out and see it RIGHT NOW. Who would have thought a curmudgeonly Ed Asner and initially irritating scout could capture love so well? I guess the same people who knew we would fall in love with a robot. The colors are gorgeous and the story enveloping. This movie should win all it can.
Well, does seeing 6 count at all? I guess we'll see in the coming weeks when nominations will be announced. Would you like a shortened re-cap of Little Gold Men's other picks? Well, here it is:
LGM legit picks - Hurt Locker, A Serious Man, Up in the Air, The Lovely Bones, Invictus, Precious, Inglorious Basterds, Nine, An Education, Avatar, Crazy Heart, A Single Man, The Last Station, It's Complicated, Whatever Works
LGM Dark Horse picks - Fantastic Mr. Fox, Bright Star, The Informant, Amelia, Brothers, Sherlock Holmes, The Road, Trucker, Broken Embraces, The Stoning of Soraya M., The Messenger, (500) Days of Summer
Happy Watching!
My dear readers followed me last year on my 2nd attempt to watch every movie (and short) nominated for an Oscar (the ones they show on tv, not the ones given out 2 days before). I believe I'm committed for a 3rd year, so I thought I'd go ahead and get started and tell you about the ones I've seen. This list is based on predictions made on Vanity Fair's "Little Gold Men" blog - my foremost source on Oscar action. Let us commence!
* "Where the Wild Things Are" (Dark Horse prediction for Best Picture and Best Director, prediction for Best Adapted Screenplay; I would at least add a pick for both Best Original Score and Best Costume) - I may be one of the few who genuinely liked this movie. I was so excited about it as soon as I learned Spike Jonze and Karen O were attached to it and got goosebumps each time I saw the beautiful, emotional trailer featuring "Wake Up" by the Arcade Fire. I liked that the fuzzy line between fantasy and reality is never addressed and leaves the viewer to decide. I know a lot of people thought this movie was too angry for a 'children's movie,' but the whole story is about an angry kid, of course his fantasy (or experience...) are going to reflect that. The monsters were fun and monster-y. I will say that it did drag a bit and felt much longer than it's 90 minutes. Best Picture - no, but Good Picture - yes.
* "The Hangover" (Dark Horse prediction for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor - Zach Galifianakis) - It's possible "The Hangover" may be the reason for the Best Picture category to now include 10 films. The critical and commercial ($$$) acclaim for this movie was outstanding. I believe the thought is, why shouldn't a fun, funny, raunchy movie be the Best Picture of the year? Everyone freakin' loved it, including myself. I laughed the entire time, even when it got a little ridiculous - and anytime Zach G. can get some attention, I'm there. I don't think it will win Best Picture, but the consideration is well deserved.
* "Public Enemies" (Dark Horse prediction for Best Picture and Best Actor - Johnny Depp) - Has Johnny Depp won an Oscar yet? He should have. Although I wanted this movie to come together a little better, Johnny Depp is sensational and sympathetic as bank robber (and murderer, I suppose) John Dillinger. The ending is a bit anti-climactic and Christian Bale doesn't quite deliver, but it was a fun night at the movies (I remember we were at the Drafthouse and I had their Green Chile Mac & Cheese, highly recommended). Again - a no on Best Picture (I don't think it will be nominated), but I think it's possible Johnny could pull down a statue for this one.
* "Star Trek" (Dark Horse prediction for Best Picture, surely at least effects nominiations) - I actually have never watched the original "Star Trek" series (I was more of a 'Next Generation' sort of girl), but this movie made me want to. This interpretation, set in the future or the past, is fast-paced (but not in a breakneck-I-have-no-idea-what's-going-on type of way) and fun the whole way through. I'm sure it was filled with great bits for Trekkies, but is easily as enjoyable for someone not too familiar with the backstory (myself). The character development and effects were great and I was never bored. This film definitely deserves recognition.
* "Julie & Julia" (prediction for Best Actress - Meryl Streep; Best Supporting Actor - Stanley Tucci; Dark Horse prediction for Best Adapted Screenplay) - I know I'm hearing a collective "duh" out there. Meryl Streep is so hot right now - and you all know it. She shines in this movie and as best I can tell, really captures the natural charm of Julia Child. I found I looked forward to the Julia parts more than the Julie parts while watching and I love Amy Adams, too. I think Stanley Tucci is a stretch for a nomination. He is supporting so far as he plays a very supportive spouse, but I wouldn't say he's particularly special in this role. I like him, so the recognition is exciting. I don't think it will end up with Best Adapted Screenplay - the real magic here was adapting the blog into the book - the movie part is easier after that (I guess except for the incorporation of the Julia Child story...hmm...let me think on this...). For sure Meryl (at least) will get nominated and not having seen any of the other films, I'd give her at least a 50% shot at winning at this point.
* "Up" (prediction for Best Animated Film and Best Original Screenplay) - Total dead lock for Best Animated Film. Like "Wall-E" before it, this movie should be up for Best Picture, hands down. If you didn't see this in 3-D, you missed out, but you should still run out and see it RIGHT NOW. Who would have thought a curmudgeonly Ed Asner and initially irritating scout could capture love so well? I guess the same people who knew we would fall in love with a robot. The colors are gorgeous and the story enveloping. This movie should win all it can.
Well, does seeing 6 count at all? I guess we'll see in the coming weeks when nominations will be announced. Would you like a shortened re-cap of Little Gold Men's other picks? Well, here it is:
LGM legit picks - Hurt Locker, A Serious Man, Up in the Air, The Lovely Bones, Invictus, Precious, Inglorious Basterds, Nine, An Education, Avatar, Crazy Heart, A Single Man, The Last Station, It's Complicated, Whatever Works
LGM Dark Horse picks - Fantastic Mr. Fox, Bright Star, The Informant, Amelia, Brothers, Sherlock Holmes, The Road, Trucker, Broken Embraces, The Stoning of Soraya M., The Messenger, (500) Days of Summer
Happy Watching!
Friday, September 18, 2009
"I'm a MacGyver when it comes to cooking"
Since this week "Top Chef" brought us to the Southwest for some cooking and camping, I thought Laurine's quote about her upper hand was appropriate. One of the blogs on www.bravotv.com pointed out how nice it was that the show was showcasing more of Las Vegas and Nevada by taking the chef-testants out to the desert. I agree. I was also very glad to see them head out to Nellis Air Force Base a few episodes ago. Incidentally, the only person I know in Nevada is stationed there while serving in the Air Force, so that made it personal for me.
Our Quickfire is pretty cool this week (I mean, they usually are, but you know). It is judged by Padma and Tim Love (of Fort Worth, I hope to go to his restaurant whenever I make it up there) who we remember from 'Top Chef: Masters.' The twist for this Quickfire is the ingredient - chosen by text message vote of 'Top Chef' viewers. Cactus - here we come!!! To be honest with you, I think this is the right choice of the three options, the other two being rattlesnake and kangaroo. To me, meat is meat. But cactus appears to require skill, and so it does. Mike Isabella wins for his raw cactus. He knew how to work with the cactus the best - un-goo it. For the first time, Mike Voltaggio is in the bottom. Crazy!
For the Elimination Challenge, they Highland the chef-testants out to a ranch. They must cook a high-end lunch in very rustic conditions (4 grills on the ground, no refrigeration) for two dozen ranchers. In order to acclimate to their surroundings they camp out on the ranch in tepee's. This provides some funny outside-of-the-competition moments - scaring each other around the campfire, horseshoes, the usual. However, it seemed only half of our chefs were really able to adapt - Jen and Kevin (who were praised, but not put in the top at Judges' Table), Laurine, Ashley, Bryan Voltaggio and Michael Voltaggio. The bottom was rounded out by Robin, Mattin, and Ron.
Bryan won easily with his pork tenderloin on corn polenta with braised dandelions and grilled rutabaga. This being his THIRD elimination win he remarked concerning his brother, "everytime we stand at Judges' Table together I seem to win, so I think he's getting tired of that." Then he laughed and actually smiled - I swear this is the first time I've seen him smile the entire season.
Mattin packed his knives due to the 3 bad ceviches he prepared. One involved cod and Tom actually spit it out (!!) and Tim said it made him sick. Mattin seemed to have no idea how bad his food was, and this was ultimately what sent him home. Robin at least knew her dish was terrible (that is what saved Laurine when Preeti was sent home for their bad pasta salad, if you'll remember) and Ron made a 'disgusting' drink, but was saved by his pretty good ceviche.
I think the frontrunners are still the Voltaggios, Jen, and Kevin - although Mike I. and Ashley are sneaking up there. Robin and Ron's exits are inevitable, they just happened to stave it off this week.
By the numbers!!!
6 - The number of times the M Resort was mentioned or shown this week. This resort was the runaway on product placement this week!!
5 - The number of chef-testants that claimed to be outdoorsy when faced with camping and cooking outside (Robin, Laurine, Mattin, Ashley, and Bryan - coincidental?)
4 - The number of times Mattin mentioned he grew up in the Basque country of France. As Tom Colicchio pointed out on his blog, Mattin kept telling them that he did Basque food, but he never actually made Basque food in the competition. Hmm... Four is also the number of arrogant statements Mike Voltaggio made this week. I mean, I think he can back it up, but let's remember that you were in the bottom on the Quickfire and your brother won the Elimination Challenge.
3 - The next prevalent product, the Toyota Prius, was only mentioned thrice!
Next week's teaser brings in Penn & Teller and the first moment of self-doubt from Jen...
Our Quickfire is pretty cool this week (I mean, they usually are, but you know). It is judged by Padma and Tim Love (of Fort Worth, I hope to go to his restaurant whenever I make it up there) who we remember from 'Top Chef: Masters.' The twist for this Quickfire is the ingredient - chosen by text message vote of 'Top Chef' viewers. Cactus - here we come!!! To be honest with you, I think this is the right choice of the three options, the other two being rattlesnake and kangaroo. To me, meat is meat. But cactus appears to require skill, and so it does. Mike Isabella wins for his raw cactus. He knew how to work with the cactus the best - un-goo it. For the first time, Mike Voltaggio is in the bottom. Crazy!
For the Elimination Challenge, they Highland the chef-testants out to a ranch. They must cook a high-end lunch in very rustic conditions (4 grills on the ground, no refrigeration) for two dozen ranchers. In order to acclimate to their surroundings they camp out on the ranch in tepee's. This provides some funny outside-of-the-competition moments - scaring each other around the campfire, horseshoes, the usual. However, it seemed only half of our chefs were really able to adapt - Jen and Kevin (who were praised, but not put in the top at Judges' Table), Laurine, Ashley, Bryan Voltaggio and Michael Voltaggio. The bottom was rounded out by Robin, Mattin, and Ron.
Bryan won easily with his pork tenderloin on corn polenta with braised dandelions and grilled rutabaga. This being his THIRD elimination win he remarked concerning his brother, "everytime we stand at Judges' Table together I seem to win, so I think he's getting tired of that." Then he laughed and actually smiled - I swear this is the first time I've seen him smile the entire season.
Mattin packed his knives due to the 3 bad ceviches he prepared. One involved cod and Tom actually spit it out (!!) and Tim said it made him sick. Mattin seemed to have no idea how bad his food was, and this was ultimately what sent him home. Robin at least knew her dish was terrible (that is what saved Laurine when Preeti was sent home for their bad pasta salad, if you'll remember) and Ron made a 'disgusting' drink, but was saved by his pretty good ceviche.
I think the frontrunners are still the Voltaggios, Jen, and Kevin - although Mike I. and Ashley are sneaking up there. Robin and Ron's exits are inevitable, they just happened to stave it off this week.
By the numbers!!!
6 - The number of times the M Resort was mentioned or shown this week. This resort was the runaway on product placement this week!!
5 - The number of chef-testants that claimed to be outdoorsy when faced with camping and cooking outside (Robin, Laurine, Mattin, Ashley, and Bryan - coincidental?)
4 - The number of times Mattin mentioned he grew up in the Basque country of France. As Tom Colicchio pointed out on his blog, Mattin kept telling them that he did Basque food, but he never actually made Basque food in the competition. Hmm... Four is also the number of arrogant statements Mike Voltaggio made this week. I mean, I think he can back it up, but let's remember that you were in the bottom on the Quickfire and your brother won the Elimination Challenge.
3 - The next prevalent product, the Toyota Prius, was only mentioned thrice!
Next week's teaser brings in Penn & Teller and the first moment of self-doubt from Jen...
Thursday, August 20, 2009
"I cook how I cook - heart and balls."
I feel like this quote from Hector really speaks to the character of this sixth season of 'Top Chef." The personalities are over-the-top across the board and I am going to assume the food will be as well - I guess that's why they chose Vegas, baby!
I have decided to step away from my previous recap blah blah blah for the sake of infusing this blog with something different. It's supposed to be a review, right? Not a regurgitation. That being said, the recap will remain, but in a more precise and snarky way. I hope you'll stick with me.
This season begins ambitiously with 17 chefs and the beloved mise-en-place (literally "putting in place") relay race. The winning team then moved onto a cook-off using the ingredient they worked with in the relay. Jen C. (who name-dropped Eric Ripert twice) wins $15,000 with her clam ceviche ('seh-veech,' in her words). People are impressed.
The elimination challenge is centered around creating a dish based on each chef's personal vice. What would yours be? Mine would be either reality tv (*ahem*) or some combination of potatoes, pasta, and cheese/cream. Delicious, right? Well, the chefs broke it down like this: 6 of them chose alcohol as a vice (and almost all of them spoke to a specific liquor), 8 chose a personality trait (procrastination and hot temper each coming up more than once - sounds like a great recipe for a reality cooking show...), and disappointingly (to me), only 3 chose food. You're freaking chefs!! But back to the challenge...they remain in their teams from the relay and cook against each other. The winning dish for each group gets judged for the win, and the same idea for the losing dish. Based on screen time and foreboding editing, you knew Kevin and Jen Z. were really going to be in the mix. Jen Z.'s first moment on screen has her declaring that she believes unpacking will bring bad luck...uh, whoops! Then she chooses to stuff her chile relleno (representing her hot temper) with seitan - a wheat gluten product often used as a substitute for meat or protein. I know! As Kevin said, "Nobody f#*@in' likes that stuff. It's yuck." While she thought this 'bold move' would set her apart from the other chefs, it backfires and the judges hate the way she cooks it. I guess bad meat product is worse than overcooked shellfish and chicken or deep-fried steak. Note to self...
On a more exciting note, Kevin wins for his arctic char, though the editors led us to believe that his procrastination vice was going to trip him up. Sounds like it ended up being right on the yummy money. My personal front-runners are Kevin, the brothers, and Jen C. (self-proclaimed 'bitch in the kitchen'). Other bloggers keep talking about someone named Ashley that I can't even remember. All in all, I think we're in for a fun season, even without all of the Las Vegas gimmicks.
Now, the fun part you've all been waiting for...Top Chef by the Numbers!!!
5 - The number of times the M Resort was mentioned (do I smell a Top Chef Destination vacation?! The finale of the first season was also filmed in Vegas.)
4 - The number of ads for both the Glad Family of Products and the Toyota Prius - and Toyota isn't even sponsoring a prize! 4 is also the lucky number of times the producers let Jen Z. warn us that she's going down this episode.
3 - The number of misogynistic comments made by Mike Isabella. Classy.
2 - The number of times Eve let us know how terrible her shellfish dish was going to be. Way to throw us off the scent, guys!
1 - It only took one statement to let the viewers know (but apparently not the cheftestants) that Preeti's team was going to lose the relay race - lose like she's still shucking clams for the first leg while the blue team won. I bet she learns how to shuck a clam stat when she gets home.
I'll leave you with my favorite Wolfgang Puck quote of the evening (did I mention he was the guest judge for the elimination challenge?), outlining his thoughts on purees: "People think you need the steak and you need some baby food with it." He also referred to a dish as looking like 'chicken testicles.' Haha.
I have decided to step away from my previous recap blah blah blah for the sake of infusing this blog with something different. It's supposed to be a review, right? Not a regurgitation. That being said, the recap will remain, but in a more precise and snarky way. I hope you'll stick with me.
This season begins ambitiously with 17 chefs and the beloved mise-en-place (literally "putting in place") relay race. The winning team then moved onto a cook-off using the ingredient they worked with in the relay. Jen C. (who name-dropped Eric Ripert twice) wins $15,000 with her clam ceviche ('seh-veech,' in her words). People are impressed.
The elimination challenge is centered around creating a dish based on each chef's personal vice. What would yours be? Mine would be either reality tv (*ahem*) or some combination of potatoes, pasta, and cheese/cream. Delicious, right? Well, the chefs broke it down like this: 6 of them chose alcohol as a vice (and almost all of them spoke to a specific liquor), 8 chose a personality trait (procrastination and hot temper each coming up more than once - sounds like a great recipe for a reality cooking show...), and disappointingly (to me), only 3 chose food. You're freaking chefs!! But back to the challenge...they remain in their teams from the relay and cook against each other. The winning dish for each group gets judged for the win, and the same idea for the losing dish. Based on screen time and foreboding editing, you knew Kevin and Jen Z. were really going to be in the mix. Jen Z.'s first moment on screen has her declaring that she believes unpacking will bring bad luck...uh, whoops! Then she chooses to stuff her chile relleno (representing her hot temper) with seitan - a wheat gluten product often used as a substitute for meat or protein. I know! As Kevin said, "Nobody f#*@in' likes that stuff. It's yuck." While she thought this 'bold move' would set her apart from the other chefs, it backfires and the judges hate the way she cooks it. I guess bad meat product is worse than overcooked shellfish and chicken or deep-fried steak. Note to self...
On a more exciting note, Kevin wins for his arctic char, though the editors led us to believe that his procrastination vice was going to trip him up. Sounds like it ended up being right on the yummy money. My personal front-runners are Kevin, the brothers, and Jen C. (self-proclaimed 'bitch in the kitchen'). Other bloggers keep talking about someone named Ashley that I can't even remember. All in all, I think we're in for a fun season, even without all of the Las Vegas gimmicks.
Now, the fun part you've all been waiting for...Top Chef by the Numbers!!!
5 - The number of times the M Resort was mentioned (do I smell a Top Chef Destination vacation?! The finale of the first season was also filmed in Vegas.)
4 - The number of ads for both the Glad Family of Products and the Toyota Prius - and Toyota isn't even sponsoring a prize! 4 is also the lucky number of times the producers let Jen Z. warn us that she's going down this episode.
3 - The number of misogynistic comments made by Mike Isabella. Classy.
2 - The number of times Eve let us know how terrible her shellfish dish was going to be. Way to throw us off the scent, guys!
1 - It only took one statement to let the viewers know (but apparently not the cheftestants) that Preeti's team was going to lose the relay race - lose like she's still shucking clams for the first leg while the blue team won. I bet she learns how to shuck a clam stat when she gets home.
I'll leave you with my favorite Wolfgang Puck quote of the evening (did I mention he was the guest judge for the elimination challenge?), outlining his thoughts on purees: "People think you need the steak and you need some baby food with it." He also referred to a dish as looking like 'chicken testicles.' Haha.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Reality TV Round-Up
I realize I have been extremely absent - and for that I apologize. Let's just chalk it up to MTV premeiring two of my shows in one week.
First up - "The Hills." As of today, we are three episodes into the 5th season (I believe). Lauren has already stated she will not be returning for another season, Audrina is shopping around her own reality show all about her, Whitney is living in "The City," and Heidi and Spencer want to be on "The Hills" forever. So as far as I'm concerned, this will be my last season of "The Hills" - I hope. The last 3 episodes have been pretty Heidi-Spencer-centric, my least favorite kind of episodes. I just typed out a long recap - but then I realized - who cares? Basically, Spencer has been lying to Heidi and Heidi continues to forgive him. At this point I can't help but suspect that the Pratt-Montag clan is trying to pull the proverbial wool over our eyes. I would hope that they watch the show - assuming this fact, Heidi would learn that yes, Spencer is a gross, controlling liar. Not to mention the fact that Stephanie seems to be egging on drama wherever she can (pushing Heidi on Lauren, reporting to Spencer Heidi's whereabouts, encouraging Heidi to stay with Spencer, trying to get a job at Lauren's work). My hypothesis is that the 3 of them have to be in some sort of cahoots to further drama on the show, like at this point they are really characters (or caricatures) to ensure the focus on their storylines - this is no longer their real life. I feel this way because I don't understand how, after 4 seasons, that Heidi could stand for this constant barrage of emotional abuse. Here is your chance to be a role model and stand up for yourself and be a strong woman, but instead you're getting plastic surgery, getting fired from your job, losing all of your friends, and alienating your family. What a winner. Part of me was really hoping they had broken up since their names haven't been on the interwebs mush as of late, but I caught a snippet the other day that said they are planning to get married in June. Maybe it's fake PR so people won't see their break-up coming? The unfortunate thing is that the show is perpetuating these other story lines while Lauren is dating Kyle Howard (Bobby from "My Boys"), but she has chosen to keep that out of the show. Wouldn't that be so much better to watch?!
Then there is the sweet sweet return of "RW/RR Challenge:The Duel II" - was it everything I hoped it would be? Maybe more...of course, there was drama before the challenges even started. Diem (RW/RR:Fresh Meat) and CT (RW:Paris) are no longer together (speaking of emotionally abusive relationships), and she hears from Katie (RR:Extreme? and hells yes, Katie is back!) that CT messed around with Shauvon (some new, questionable, RW girl). CT thinks that Adam (RW:Paris) told her and he and Adam get in this RIDICULOUS fight. RIDICULOUS. Like uncomfortable to watch and people are bleeding and the house is being destroyed. Diem cries and they are both sent home. This all happens while Diem is dressed up as some sort of slutty cavewoman. QUESTION - does this mean that she and Paula (of RW:Key West, who was dressed as Poke-your-hontas, I think you get the picture) packed these outfits with them? Like just in case they threw a birthday party? Or is this one of those things that MTV provides, like copious amounts of alcohol? I would really like to know. Fast forward to the challenge the next day, Nehemiah (RW:Austin, Beth's 'tenderoni') and MJ (RW:Philadelphia) have joined us in place of the ejected RW:Paris competitors. The first challenge is a rugby challenge - oops! - MJ is a former SEC football player (it was Vandy, but still, did you play SEC football? I didn't think so). He doesn't win, but he gets close - Evan (RW/RR Challenge:Fresh Meat) wins along with Robin (RW:San Diego). MJ gets Robin to save him in the selection process and the two duels are set up - Ryan (Fresh Meat) vs. some new guy who I can't remember his name and Aneesa (RW:Chicago) vs. Shauvon. Are you kidding me?! Who would pick Aneesa to go against? Anyways...Ryan beats the new guy and we won't learn about the girls until tonight. I think this season could really hold a lot of outside-of-the-challenges drama. Robin and Mark (first RR) are exes, Diem is left without CT, Rachel (RR:Campus Crawl) and Jenn (RW:Denver?) have hooked up previously, Brad (RW:San Diego) and Tori (RR:Viewer's Revenge) appear to break up on the show, there are two gay guys and at least two more lesbians, Big Easy (Fresh Meat) is back (shocking, that takes a lot of nerve), and I just love all of it!
Some other, non-MTV reality shows I have been viewing are "America's Next Top Model" and "Last Restaurant Standing." I have really been enjoying this season of ANTM. I didn't ever really get into the last cycle (evidenced by the fact that I finished it about 2 weeks before this cycle started), and I didn't mean to start this one because of my indifference, but then the DVR just picked up recording it, so I may as well watch it if it's there, and it's been pretty good. I could easily say that I pretty much like all of the girls that are left - and I am interested to see how this cycle plays out. I also like the addition of "Top Models in Action" during the commercial breaks once an episode. Nigel narrates what past contestants have been doing in their modeling careers - it's kind of nice to have an update to see that they are actually modeling. I guess they are doing this in place of 'Cover Girl of the Week' now that I think about it...
As for "Last Restaurant Standing," we are down to just 3 couples and 2 episodes. Last week, one of our faves - Nel's, went home - so that was kind of a bummer. The three that are left are the Cheerful Soul, True Provenance, and The Gallery. The interesting challenge/twist for this week was the invitation of some dietary special needs customers - vegetarians, vegans, and celiacs. Oh, and a fine dining supper club. None of them handled it perfectly. True Provenance didn't really have any viable vegetarian/vegan options, Michelle of the Cheerful Soul wasn't familiar enough with the menu to figure out where the gluten was so it took 20 minutes to take the celiacs' order and they were then served crostini, the celiac 7-year-old at The Gallery was served a biscuit on her dessert, and the fine dining club kind of ripped James up and down on his food at The Gallery. I don't really know anything about Raymond Blanc's restaurants, but The Gallery and True Provenance seem more up his alley, but to me the front-runner kind of seems to be the Cheerful Soul. The thing about it all now is that none of them seem to be doing particularly well, thus all three couples are in some sort of special challenge (saw that coming) for next week.
New show alert - Bravo will be premeiring "Top Chef: Masters" on June 10. This will pit 24 established chef's (including some fave guest judges) against each other in "Top Chef"-style challenges in order to ultimately win the title and $100,000 to their charity of choice.
"Project Runway" update - Season Six will finally be premeiring this summer on Lifetime. I'm really bummed that Bravo lost out on this show, and I am wary about the two replacements - "The Fashion Show" and "Buy My Line" or something like that. Hmm...
First up - "The Hills." As of today, we are three episodes into the 5th season (I believe). Lauren has already stated she will not be returning for another season, Audrina is shopping around her own reality show all about her, Whitney is living in "The City," and Heidi and Spencer want to be on "The Hills" forever. So as far as I'm concerned, this will be my last season of "The Hills" - I hope. The last 3 episodes have been pretty Heidi-Spencer-centric, my least favorite kind of episodes. I just typed out a long recap - but then I realized - who cares? Basically, Spencer has been lying to Heidi and Heidi continues to forgive him. At this point I can't help but suspect that the Pratt-Montag clan is trying to pull the proverbial wool over our eyes. I would hope that they watch the show - assuming this fact, Heidi would learn that yes, Spencer is a gross, controlling liar. Not to mention the fact that Stephanie seems to be egging on drama wherever she can (pushing Heidi on Lauren, reporting to Spencer Heidi's whereabouts, encouraging Heidi to stay with Spencer, trying to get a job at Lauren's work). My hypothesis is that the 3 of them have to be in some sort of cahoots to further drama on the show, like at this point they are really characters (or caricatures) to ensure the focus on their storylines - this is no longer their real life. I feel this way because I don't understand how, after 4 seasons, that Heidi could stand for this constant barrage of emotional abuse. Here is your chance to be a role model and stand up for yourself and be a strong woman, but instead you're getting plastic surgery, getting fired from your job, losing all of your friends, and alienating your family. What a winner. Part of me was really hoping they had broken up since their names haven't been on the interwebs mush as of late, but I caught a snippet the other day that said they are planning to get married in June. Maybe it's fake PR so people won't see their break-up coming? The unfortunate thing is that the show is perpetuating these other story lines while Lauren is dating Kyle Howard (Bobby from "My Boys"), but she has chosen to keep that out of the show. Wouldn't that be so much better to watch?!
Then there is the sweet sweet return of "RW/RR Challenge:The Duel II" - was it everything I hoped it would be? Maybe more...of course, there was drama before the challenges even started. Diem (RW/RR:Fresh Meat) and CT (RW:Paris) are no longer together (speaking of emotionally abusive relationships), and she hears from Katie (RR:Extreme? and hells yes, Katie is back!) that CT messed around with Shauvon (some new, questionable, RW girl). CT thinks that Adam (RW:Paris) told her and he and Adam get in this RIDICULOUS fight. RIDICULOUS. Like uncomfortable to watch and people are bleeding and the house is being destroyed. Diem cries and they are both sent home. This all happens while Diem is dressed up as some sort of slutty cavewoman. QUESTION - does this mean that she and Paula (of RW:Key West, who was dressed as Poke-your-hontas, I think you get the picture) packed these outfits with them? Like just in case they threw a birthday party? Or is this one of those things that MTV provides, like copious amounts of alcohol? I would really like to know. Fast forward to the challenge the next day, Nehemiah (RW:Austin, Beth's 'tenderoni') and MJ (RW:Philadelphia) have joined us in place of the ejected RW:Paris competitors. The first challenge is a rugby challenge - oops! - MJ is a former SEC football player (it was Vandy, but still, did you play SEC football? I didn't think so). He doesn't win, but he gets close - Evan (RW/RR Challenge:Fresh Meat) wins along with Robin (RW:San Diego). MJ gets Robin to save him in the selection process and the two duels are set up - Ryan (Fresh Meat) vs. some new guy who I can't remember his name and Aneesa (RW:Chicago) vs. Shauvon. Are you kidding me?! Who would pick Aneesa to go against? Anyways...Ryan beats the new guy and we won't learn about the girls until tonight. I think this season could really hold a lot of outside-of-the-challenges drama. Robin and Mark (first RR) are exes, Diem is left without CT, Rachel (RR:Campus Crawl) and Jenn (RW:Denver?) have hooked up previously, Brad (RW:San Diego) and Tori (RR:Viewer's Revenge) appear to break up on the show, there are two gay guys and at least two more lesbians, Big Easy (Fresh Meat) is back (shocking, that takes a lot of nerve), and I just love all of it!
Some other, non-MTV reality shows I have been viewing are "America's Next Top Model" and "Last Restaurant Standing." I have really been enjoying this season of ANTM. I didn't ever really get into the last cycle (evidenced by the fact that I finished it about 2 weeks before this cycle started), and I didn't mean to start this one because of my indifference, but then the DVR just picked up recording it, so I may as well watch it if it's there, and it's been pretty good. I could easily say that I pretty much like all of the girls that are left - and I am interested to see how this cycle plays out. I also like the addition of "Top Models in Action" during the commercial breaks once an episode. Nigel narrates what past contestants have been doing in their modeling careers - it's kind of nice to have an update to see that they are actually modeling. I guess they are doing this in place of 'Cover Girl of the Week' now that I think about it...
As for "Last Restaurant Standing," we are down to just 3 couples and 2 episodes. Last week, one of our faves - Nel's, went home - so that was kind of a bummer. The three that are left are the Cheerful Soul, True Provenance, and The Gallery. The interesting challenge/twist for this week was the invitation of some dietary special needs customers - vegetarians, vegans, and celiacs. Oh, and a fine dining supper club. None of them handled it perfectly. True Provenance didn't really have any viable vegetarian/vegan options, Michelle of the Cheerful Soul wasn't familiar enough with the menu to figure out where the gluten was so it took 20 minutes to take the celiacs' order and they were then served crostini, the celiac 7-year-old at The Gallery was served a biscuit on her dessert, and the fine dining club kind of ripped James up and down on his food at The Gallery. I don't really know anything about Raymond Blanc's restaurants, but The Gallery and True Provenance seem more up his alley, but to me the front-runner kind of seems to be the Cheerful Soul. The thing about it all now is that none of them seem to be doing particularly well, thus all three couples are in some sort of special challenge (saw that coming) for next week.
New show alert - Bravo will be premeiring "Top Chef: Masters" on June 10. This will pit 24 established chef's (including some fave guest judges) against each other in "Top Chef"-style challenges in order to ultimately win the title and $100,000 to their charity of choice.
"Project Runway" update - Season Six will finally be premeiring this summer on Lifetime. I'm really bummed that Bravo lost out on this show, and I am wary about the two replacements - "The Fashion Show" and "Buy My Line" or something like that. Hmm...
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.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Hmm...
Spoilers ahead - FYI.
One time, I was reading up on "Top Chef" drinking games on the interwebs. Each version I found was very complicated. One in particular involved having two teams - Contestants vs. Judges. Again, it was confusing, but it was something along the lines of every time Padma said something ridiculous or that she didn't seem qualified to say, the Judges team took a drink. On the other side (and this is the one I do remember very accurately), if a contest said something full of foreshadowing that would probably doom them in the end, the Contestants team took a drink. This is exactly what went through my head during the "Top Chef" finale last night when Carla said early on, "I know I can do this if I just cook my food."
So last night my husband and I rushed home (we were at church for Ash Wednesday, but we have priorities, man!), grabbed some beverages and cookies, and settled in to take in the episode.
The episode broke down like this: Breakfast; pick sous chefs by drawing knives; Hosea-Richard, Stefan-Marcel, Carla-Casey; cook the best meal of your life using what's available at this restaurant; fight over foie gras; sous-vide; TWIST - eat king cake, find baby, dole out Cajun protein for appetizer course - Hosea-redfish, Carla-Blue Crab; Stefan-alligator; alligator sucks; service; judging.
With the aforementioned quote, it did not start off looking well for my buddy, Carla. Alongwith the rest of the "Top Chef" viewership, we wondered who would the sous chefs be? I would like to say that I recognized Richard Blais while they were still in the shadows - it was the hair. The pairings seemed perfect, until it went downhill.
Carla and Casey teamed up for a girl power team, and I was a little excited by this. They are both Southern with French training (Casey learned how to cook from her French grandmother) and super ladies. Oh, was I wrong! The SECOND Casey mentioned doing the steak sous-vide, I knew Carla was done for. This was also when I realized I was really really pulling for Carla. Then came the tart-souffle debacle. It was painful.
The OTHER irritating part was Hosea and Stefan's exclusive competition. Not ONCE did they mention Carla (maybe this was creative editing, but I think they were just being competitive boys). Had Carla cooked her love-soul-food, she would have blown both of them out of the water. Their respective menus are as follows.
Appetizer course: Hosea - redfish on griddled corncake with remoulade, Stefan - alligator soup, Carla - chiso Blue Crab soup with chayote salsa (TIE - all awesome)
First course: Hosea - sashimi 3 ways, Stefan - hamachi, Carla - bouillabasse (Carla wins, but Hosea's is a little better than Stefan's)
Second course: Hosea - scallop with foie gras, Stefan - squab with cabbage, Carla - Meat and potatoes/sous-vide NY strip steak with potato log and excellent sauce (TIE between Hosea and Stefan)
Third course: Hosea - venison with mushrooms and blueberries, Stefan - ice cream with chocolate mousse and a banana lollipop, Carla - something that was missing a bleu cheese souffle (Hosea wins)
Judges Table was just heartbreaking. You could see that the judges were disappointed by Carla and she was even more disappointed in herself - and then just had to count her out and choose between the boys (this same thing happened to Casey during her finale...). Then followed one of the most touching moments in "Top Chef" history (in conjunction with the 12 Days of Christmas challenge earlier in the season when all of the chefs pitched in to help Hosea and Radhika), Carla was explaining why she should be Top Chef while tears were streaming down her face and Stefan was moved and reached out to comfort her. Then later, in the stew room, he wiped away her tears. He may be cocky, but it was nice to see a gentler side.
When it was all said and done, Hosea edged out Stefan, and I was just disappointed. I liked Hosea a lot early on, he was even one of my faves, but then came the dalliance with Leah (didn't you like their lip-to-lip congratulatory kiss?!) and he (and she) just lost all class in my eyes. Although Stefan was overly-confident, he was much more constistent than Hosea. I will concede that his cockiness led to him phoning in the last few challenges, though. And Carla - my least favorite after the first episode, but then my heart's pick to win. She cooked with soul (like Stephanie) and maintained a positive attitude throughout, gaining friends rather than enemies. Good luck always.
Next week we are treated to a reunion special. I'll be tuned in and let you know what I think.
One time, I was reading up on "Top Chef" drinking games on the interwebs. Each version I found was very complicated. One in particular involved having two teams - Contestants vs. Judges. Again, it was confusing, but it was something along the lines of every time Padma said something ridiculous or that she didn't seem qualified to say, the Judges team took a drink. On the other side (and this is the one I do remember very accurately), if a contest said something full of foreshadowing that would probably doom them in the end, the Contestants team took a drink. This is exactly what went through my head during the "Top Chef" finale last night when Carla said early on, "I know I can do this if I just cook my food."
So last night my husband and I rushed home (we were at church for Ash Wednesday, but we have priorities, man!), grabbed some beverages and cookies, and settled in to take in the episode.
The episode broke down like this: Breakfast; pick sous chefs by drawing knives; Hosea-Richard, Stefan-Marcel, Carla-Casey; cook the best meal of your life using what's available at this restaurant; fight over foie gras; sous-vide; TWIST - eat king cake, find baby, dole out Cajun protein for appetizer course - Hosea-redfish, Carla-Blue Crab; Stefan-alligator; alligator sucks; service; judging.
With the aforementioned quote, it did not start off looking well for my buddy, Carla. Alongwith the rest of the "Top Chef" viewership, we wondered who would the sous chefs be? I would like to say that I recognized Richard Blais while they were still in the shadows - it was the hair. The pairings seemed perfect, until it went downhill.
Carla and Casey teamed up for a girl power team, and I was a little excited by this. They are both Southern with French training (Casey learned how to cook from her French grandmother) and super ladies. Oh, was I wrong! The SECOND Casey mentioned doing the steak sous-vide, I knew Carla was done for. This was also when I realized I was really really pulling for Carla. Then came the tart-souffle debacle. It was painful.
The OTHER irritating part was Hosea and Stefan's exclusive competition. Not ONCE did they mention Carla (maybe this was creative editing, but I think they were just being competitive boys). Had Carla cooked her love-soul-food, she would have blown both of them out of the water. Their respective menus are as follows.
Appetizer course: Hosea - redfish on griddled corncake with remoulade, Stefan - alligator soup, Carla - chiso Blue Crab soup with chayote salsa (TIE - all awesome)
First course: Hosea - sashimi 3 ways, Stefan - hamachi, Carla - bouillabasse (Carla wins, but Hosea's is a little better than Stefan's)
Second course: Hosea - scallop with foie gras, Stefan - squab with cabbage, Carla - Meat and potatoes/sous-vide NY strip steak with potato log and excellent sauce (TIE between Hosea and Stefan)
Third course: Hosea - venison with mushrooms and blueberries, Stefan - ice cream with chocolate mousse and a banana lollipop, Carla - something that was missing a bleu cheese souffle (Hosea wins)
Judges Table was just heartbreaking. You could see that the judges were disappointed by Carla and she was even more disappointed in herself - and then just had to count her out and choose between the boys (this same thing happened to Casey during her finale...). Then followed one of the most touching moments in "Top Chef" history (in conjunction with the 12 Days of Christmas challenge earlier in the season when all of the chefs pitched in to help Hosea and Radhika), Carla was explaining why she should be Top Chef while tears were streaming down her face and Stefan was moved and reached out to comfort her. Then later, in the stew room, he wiped away her tears. He may be cocky, but it was nice to see a gentler side.
When it was all said and done, Hosea edged out Stefan, and I was just disappointed. I liked Hosea a lot early on, he was even one of my faves, but then came the dalliance with Leah (didn't you like their lip-to-lip congratulatory kiss?!) and he (and she) just lost all class in my eyes. Although Stefan was overly-confident, he was much more constistent than Hosea. I will concede that his cockiness led to him phoning in the last few challenges, though. And Carla - my least favorite after the first episode, but then my heart's pick to win. She cooked with soul (like Stephanie) and maintained a positive attitude throughout, gaining friends rather than enemies. Good luck always.
Next week we are treated to a reunion special. I'll be tuned in and let you know what I think.
Monday, February 23, 2009
The ballots are in...
and one girl had to win ("Bring It On," anyone?)!
Anyways, the long-anticipated Academy Awards aired last night from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Clocking in at 3.5 hours, it felt a little eternal. How did I fair in my movie-viewing, you ask? How were my predictions? What did I think? Don't worry, readers, you are about to find out.
First off, as far as all of the big awards go (not including documentaries, foreign language, and shorts) - we did see all of the movies that won. I did not think that was going to happen because I was almost FOR SURE that Mickey Rourke was going to win for "The Wrestler." I did see all of the animated shorts (shocked by that win, but I should have seen it coming, I'm just a sucker for rabbits), but none of the others. Biggest upset of the night - "Departures" over "Waltz With Bashir" in the Best Foreign Language Film category, I had read some articles arguing that "Waltz" should be eligible for Best Picture. Period. It looks violent, but I imagine we'll see it when it opens in Austin.
So my husband and I printed out scorecards and filled them out while watching the red carpet coverage. We came up with a scoring system that entails making up to two selections for each category - what WE want to win, and what we think the Academy will pick. Last year we had 3 categories - what we wanted, what should win, and what will win (I think it was because of our love for both "There Will Be Blood" and "Juno", and the inevitability of "No Country for Old Men") - this proved to be too complicated. So for scoring you got 2 points if you accurately selected what you thought the Academy would pick and 1 point if what you wanted to win did in fact win. For instance, I thought that the Academy would pick Mickey Rourke for Best Actor, but I personally thought Sean Penn would win. Since Sean Penn won, I got one point. Conversely, I thought the Academy would pick Kate Winslet for Best Actress, but I thought Meryl Streep gave the best performance. Kate Winslet won, so I got 2 points. I ended up with 36 out of a possible 48, while my husband got 26. A few I was just totally wrong on - Best Costume, Best Animated Short - and a few I just didn't amply use my 2 selections (Best Original Song). I was overall happy with all of the awards - especially the sweep by "Slumdog Millionaire." Everyone that won was gracious and I almost choked up a few times (Dustin Lance Black's win for Best Original Screenplay - phenomenal and well-deserved, plus he looked all of 15!).
The show itself...was okay. I thought Hugh Jackman was a good host. Each of his musical numbers went on a little long (plus we all just really wanted to see Beyonce do "Single Ladies"), but they were fun. As per usual, WAY too many montages. I think it's honorable that the Academy was trying to recognize films that were not nominated, but the Oscars are not about those movies. Mostly that was 15 more minutes of blah blah blah. I did like the vignette with James Franco, Seth Rogan, and the DP guy - especially when he told this year's best cinematographer to suck it. I appreciate the "In Memoriam" montage each year, but this year they were trying to do all of this artful camera work to keep Queen Latifah in the shot and you couldn't read all of the names. Cyd Charisse just deserves a little more remembrance than that. The 5 actors/actresses things was kind of cool, but I was disappointed because I had tried to pick out in each movie we saw what scene they were going to show for each nominee as they were announced. I'll just have to assume I was right.
Everyone looked great, no blatant missteps. Didn't love Sophia Loren or Jessica Biel. Lies - Miley Cyrus' dress was terrible. Mickey Rourke was right on and I loved his tribute to Loki, his chihuahua. I mostly didn't like getting to bed after 11, but I don't think this sort of thing will ever change.
To look forward to...maybe some commentary on "The Girls Tell All" tonight, definitely a "Top Chef" wrap-up, the promised look into "Last Restaurant Standing," and I believe Tuesday night will become movie night at our household - so there are still movie reviews on the horizon. Thanks for reading!
Anyways, the long-anticipated Academy Awards aired last night from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Clocking in at 3.5 hours, it felt a little eternal. How did I fair in my movie-viewing, you ask? How were my predictions? What did I think? Don't worry, readers, you are about to find out.
First off, as far as all of the big awards go (not including documentaries, foreign language, and shorts) - we did see all of the movies that won. I did not think that was going to happen because I was almost FOR SURE that Mickey Rourke was going to win for "The Wrestler." I did see all of the animated shorts (shocked by that win, but I should have seen it coming, I'm just a sucker for rabbits), but none of the others. Biggest upset of the night - "Departures" over "Waltz With Bashir" in the Best Foreign Language Film category, I had read some articles arguing that "Waltz" should be eligible for Best Picture. Period. It looks violent, but I imagine we'll see it when it opens in Austin.
So my husband and I printed out scorecards and filled them out while watching the red carpet coverage. We came up with a scoring system that entails making up to two selections for each category - what WE want to win, and what we think the Academy will pick. Last year we had 3 categories - what we wanted, what should win, and what will win (I think it was because of our love for both "There Will Be Blood" and "Juno", and the inevitability of "No Country for Old Men") - this proved to be too complicated. So for scoring you got 2 points if you accurately selected what you thought the Academy would pick and 1 point if what you wanted to win did in fact win. For instance, I thought that the Academy would pick Mickey Rourke for Best Actor, but I personally thought Sean Penn would win. Since Sean Penn won, I got one point. Conversely, I thought the Academy would pick Kate Winslet for Best Actress, but I thought Meryl Streep gave the best performance. Kate Winslet won, so I got 2 points. I ended up with 36 out of a possible 48, while my husband got 26. A few I was just totally wrong on - Best Costume, Best Animated Short - and a few I just didn't amply use my 2 selections (Best Original Song). I was overall happy with all of the awards - especially the sweep by "Slumdog Millionaire." Everyone that won was gracious and I almost choked up a few times (Dustin Lance Black's win for Best Original Screenplay - phenomenal and well-deserved, plus he looked all of 15!).
The show itself...was okay. I thought Hugh Jackman was a good host. Each of his musical numbers went on a little long (plus we all just really wanted to see Beyonce do "Single Ladies"), but they were fun. As per usual, WAY too many montages. I think it's honorable that the Academy was trying to recognize films that were not nominated, but the Oscars are not about those movies. Mostly that was 15 more minutes of blah blah blah. I did like the vignette with James Franco, Seth Rogan, and the DP guy - especially when he told this year's best cinematographer to suck it. I appreciate the "In Memoriam" montage each year, but this year they were trying to do all of this artful camera work to keep Queen Latifah in the shot and you couldn't read all of the names. Cyd Charisse just deserves a little more remembrance than that. The 5 actors/actresses things was kind of cool, but I was disappointed because I had tried to pick out in each movie we saw what scene they were going to show for each nominee as they were announced. I'll just have to assume I was right.
Everyone looked great, no blatant missteps. Didn't love Sophia Loren or Jessica Biel. Lies - Miley Cyrus' dress was terrible. Mickey Rourke was right on and I loved his tribute to Loki, his chihuahua. I mostly didn't like getting to bed after 11, but I don't think this sort of thing will ever change.
To look forward to...maybe some commentary on "The Girls Tell All" tonight, definitely a "Top Chef" wrap-up, the promised look into "Last Restaurant Standing," and I believe Tuesday night will become movie night at our household - so there are still movie reviews on the horizon. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Hootie!
EXCELLENT episode of "Top Chef" last night, wouldn't you say?! Spoilers ahead, so be warned!
First up - my one issue with the episode (and I guess reality tv in general) - the bringing back of eliminated contestants to get their hopes up and get in the heads of the remaining contestants. Don't get me wrong - I love Jamie and really wanted her to be in the finale (I suppose I sort of got my wish), but these people already lost fair and square. Fair and square on the other side, the remaining contestants deserve to be there (thank God Leah didn't make it through either time). Basically, I think it's unfair to those who were rightfully on their way to the finale.
Side note - I definitely fell in love with New Orleans over the course of this episode. My in-laws took a trip there over New Year's and told us how much we would love it. I was already convinced, but this made me start planning a visit in my ol' noggin. Gorgeous. All I can think about are grits and gumbo now.
Let's move on to the Quickfire. Once I got over the initial shock of ridiculous-ness, I was intrigued. Emeril Lagasse was the guest judge and I was expecting the Emeril from tv ("Bam!" and yelling and such). There was none of that. He was simply a great New Orleans chef who is very passionate about New Orleans and its food. The challenge was to cook a Creole dish using crayfish (I would say crawfish, but whatever, they're delicious so what does it matter). It really seemed that they were all successful. Leah, of course, seemed the least motivated, but as Stefan pointed out - she has often had no idea what she was cooking and pulled off a win, so you can never really count her out. Jeff, our friend from Miami, got the win and an opportunity to compete in the elimination challenge. But in a twist straight from "Project Runway" (black and white challenge with Angela and Vincent, anyone?), Padma informs the Final Five that in order to compete in the finale-finale Jeff had to WIN the ENTIRE challenge. In that case, two of the chefs who came to New Orleans originally would be packing their knives. Heavy stuff, man, no pressure.
ELIMINATION TIME - The chefs are taken to a warehouse that stores Mardi Gras floats to hear about the challenge. They must cater a masquerade party at the New Orleans Museum of Art (I would assume thats, NOMA, coloquially) for Orpheus (some group). The catering consists of two appetizers and one cocktail - and one dish must be in the Creole style. They got to do their prep work in the kitchen of one of Emeril's restaurants, pretty cool. So if you win, you're in the final and YOU WIN A CAR. I liked it better when they surprised Blaise with the car last year, but maybe they thought that surprise was blown. I don't know. What follows is typical kitchen drama - will I be done in time? what in the world do they think they're making? I hate this guy, my food is just so much better than everyone's, I hate that guy, blah blah blah.
Party time - the judges arrive in masks. Poor Tom and Emeril, is all I have to say. Padma is kind of dressed like a barmaid, but what does any of that matter because we soon learn that Gail is back!!!! I loved Carla's exclamation of "love you, girl!" As we all know, Carla missed Gail immensely, and so did I. Party food rundown:
Hosea - Gumbo (with a dark roux, this is key), pecan-crusted catfish, and a hurricane
Fabio - rabbit sausage maux chou (?) over grits, pasta of some sort, muffaletta bread, and a bell pepper martini
Stefan - gumbo over grits, apple beignet, and a black cherry and rum beverage
Jeff - fried oyster, Pot de Creme with crawfish, and a cucumber mojito
Carla - oyster stew, shrimp and andouille beignet, and a cranberry lime spritzer
At the end of the party, they all seem to have done a phenomenal job and I had no idea who they would eliminate.
When it's all said and done, the top 3 are Carla, Jeff, and Hosea while the European Duo comprises the bottom two. Carla is announced the winner - as far as I can tell there were no missteps or complaints. Even though her drink was non-alcoholic, Emeril still found it refreshing and her food had soul! I love love Carla now, so I was pretty excited. Jeff was so close on this one, but said he would be leaving with his head held high - and he should, he really stepped it up. Good for him - though it was ok with me because I really thought the other four deserved the chance. I thought they strung Hosea along a bit because he was really in the top, but they left him in there with Fabio and Stefan like he was in the bottom. Ultimately, Fabio was sent packing for the muddled flavors of his rabbit dish and his too-sweet cocktail. Stefan was admonished for his cocky and laissez-faire behavior.
Next week - the finale! with a twist! of course! Soon, I will blog about the best show you're not watching that will also fill the void that "Top Chef" will leave in our lives once it ends next week - "Last Restaurant Standing."
First up - my one issue with the episode (and I guess reality tv in general) - the bringing back of eliminated contestants to get their hopes up and get in the heads of the remaining contestants. Don't get me wrong - I love Jamie and really wanted her to be in the finale (I suppose I sort of got my wish), but these people already lost fair and square. Fair and square on the other side, the remaining contestants deserve to be there (thank God Leah didn't make it through either time). Basically, I think it's unfair to those who were rightfully on their way to the finale.
Side note - I definitely fell in love with New Orleans over the course of this episode. My in-laws took a trip there over New Year's and told us how much we would love it. I was already convinced, but this made me start planning a visit in my ol' noggin. Gorgeous. All I can think about are grits and gumbo now.
Let's move on to the Quickfire. Once I got over the initial shock of ridiculous-ness, I was intrigued. Emeril Lagasse was the guest judge and I was expecting the Emeril from tv ("Bam!" and yelling and such). There was none of that. He was simply a great New Orleans chef who is very passionate about New Orleans and its food. The challenge was to cook a Creole dish using crayfish (I would say crawfish, but whatever, they're delicious so what does it matter). It really seemed that they were all successful. Leah, of course, seemed the least motivated, but as Stefan pointed out - she has often had no idea what she was cooking and pulled off a win, so you can never really count her out. Jeff, our friend from Miami, got the win and an opportunity to compete in the elimination challenge. But in a twist straight from "Project Runway" (black and white challenge with Angela and Vincent, anyone?), Padma informs the Final Five that in order to compete in the finale-finale Jeff had to WIN the ENTIRE challenge. In that case, two of the chefs who came to New Orleans originally would be packing their knives. Heavy stuff, man, no pressure.
ELIMINATION TIME - The chefs are taken to a warehouse that stores Mardi Gras floats to hear about the challenge. They must cater a masquerade party at the New Orleans Museum of Art (I would assume thats, NOMA, coloquially) for Orpheus (some group). The catering consists of two appetizers and one cocktail - and one dish must be in the Creole style. They got to do their prep work in the kitchen of one of Emeril's restaurants, pretty cool. So if you win, you're in the final and YOU WIN A CAR. I liked it better when they surprised Blaise with the car last year, but maybe they thought that surprise was blown. I don't know. What follows is typical kitchen drama - will I be done in time? what in the world do they think they're making? I hate this guy, my food is just so much better than everyone's, I hate that guy, blah blah blah.
Party time - the judges arrive in masks. Poor Tom and Emeril, is all I have to say. Padma is kind of dressed like a barmaid, but what does any of that matter because we soon learn that Gail is back!!!! I loved Carla's exclamation of "love you, girl!" As we all know, Carla missed Gail immensely, and so did I. Party food rundown:
Hosea - Gumbo (with a dark roux, this is key), pecan-crusted catfish, and a hurricane
Fabio - rabbit sausage maux chou (?) over grits, pasta of some sort, muffaletta bread, and a bell pepper martini
Stefan - gumbo over grits, apple beignet, and a black cherry and rum beverage
Jeff - fried oyster, Pot de Creme with crawfish, and a cucumber mojito
Carla - oyster stew, shrimp and andouille beignet, and a cranberry lime spritzer
At the end of the party, they all seem to have done a phenomenal job and I had no idea who they would eliminate.
When it's all said and done, the top 3 are Carla, Jeff, and Hosea while the European Duo comprises the bottom two. Carla is announced the winner - as far as I can tell there were no missteps or complaints. Even though her drink was non-alcoholic, Emeril still found it refreshing and her food had soul! I love love Carla now, so I was pretty excited. Jeff was so close on this one, but said he would be leaving with his head held high - and he should, he really stepped it up. Good for him - though it was ok with me because I really thought the other four deserved the chance. I thought they strung Hosea along a bit because he was really in the top, but they left him in there with Fabio and Stefan like he was in the bottom. Ultimately, Fabio was sent packing for the muddled flavors of his rabbit dish and his too-sweet cocktail. Stefan was admonished for his cocky and laissez-faire behavior.
Next week - the finale! with a twist! of course! Soon, I will blog about the best show you're not watching that will also fill the void that "Top Chef" will leave in our lives once it ends next week - "Last Restaurant Standing."
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
This may be it...
As far as my Oscar posts go. This upcoming week/weekend somehow filled up and I just don't know if I'll make it to anymore movies. One thing I noticed this year is that not many of the nominated films are out on DVD. Last year there was a much more steady stream from week-to-week leading up to the awards. Either way, we've had a productive go since I last posted.
Last...Thursday, I believe, we rented "Frozen River." This was the one movie nominated that had not been on any of my previous lists and I didn't know if we were going to get a chance to see it. It's up for Best Actress (Melissa Leo) and Best Original Screenplay. It takes place in UPstate New York, and by that I mean - on the Canadian border. It follows two single mothers (one white, one Mohawk) as they become entangled and seek to provide at all costs for their children. It was only and hour and a half, but it was a little slow-moving. I did like it, though. I would categorize it with "The Visitor" - definitely could be classified as a commentary on immigration as well as tribal rights (something I know very little about). The two main characters move from the US, Mohawk land, and Canada across, you guessed it, a frozen river. Melissa Leo was great and the story was very original.
The next day we went to the Arbor (every movie they are showing right now is Oscar-nominated and most of the films we have set out to view are only being shown there - way to go, Arbor! Great and friendly staff, too.) to see "Frost/Nixon." I'll be honest with you, I was not that pumped to see this movie. It was lowest on my Best Picture list and it only won out because it was the only Best Picture film we had yet to see. I was actually going to go see it by myself until a friend who had seen it convinced my husband he should go with me. I was VERY pleasantly surprised!!! The movie was great. Outstanding performances - especially by Frank Langella (nominated for Best Actor). I was entertained the entire time and loved having this sort of window to look back on this event (I missed it the first time around). I would highly recommend it - it definitely moved up on my list.
Sunday we rented "Wanted." My husband had actually already seen this one in the theaters and I had pretty much vowed not to see it. But then it got nominated for the two sound awards and I am not one to discriminate. I still didn't like it very much. I really did try to be optimistic, but I generally don't like action movies that are made for the sake of being action movies. The violence was way too gratuitous, you pretty much dislike James McAvoy's character the entire time (or at least, I did), Morgan Freeman is a villain, and Angelina Jolie's range as an actress is way underused. Then there is this Loom of Fate subplot, could have been cool, not fleshed out at all. Overall, a disappointment with no real commentary on anything. But if you love action movies, this is your film.
So...what's left to even see, you ask? If I had it my way, we would really push to see "Rachel Getting Married," "The Wrestler," and "Revolutionary Road" in the the theater by Sunday evening. And if I was pressed to pick one it would be "The Wrestler" - I have heard nothing but raves about Mickey Rourke's performance and I feel like that's the only way I could accurately have an opinion on Best Actor. As far as renting goes, our only options are "Changeling" and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army." I have already seen "Changeling," and although my husband hasn't, it's kind of long and I don't think Angelina Jolie is going to win Best Actress. As I said earlier, I'm trying not to discriminate against films I generally wouldn't go see, but I didn't see the first "Hellboy," so...we'll see about that one. I may post my picks before the show, but if not I will definitely blog about it all afterwards.
TOTAL side note - anyone watch "The Bachelor" last night? I am embarrassed to admit that I do watch it, but it is my guiltiest of pleasures - I kind of love it. The elimination shocked me, but what I really want to discuss are the teasers for the finale and the "After the Final Rose" special. First - DeAnna - lame plot twist. We don't like her anymore, ABC! Second, Chris Harrison (who may have the best job in the world) and his "intimate, too dramatic" taping announcement kind of got to me - and I have to wait 3 weeks to find out. No thank you, but I will be watching. Dang it.
Last...Thursday, I believe, we rented "Frozen River." This was the one movie nominated that had not been on any of my previous lists and I didn't know if we were going to get a chance to see it. It's up for Best Actress (Melissa Leo) and Best Original Screenplay. It takes place in UPstate New York, and by that I mean - on the Canadian border. It follows two single mothers (one white, one Mohawk) as they become entangled and seek to provide at all costs for their children. It was only and hour and a half, but it was a little slow-moving. I did like it, though. I would categorize it with "The Visitor" - definitely could be classified as a commentary on immigration as well as tribal rights (something I know very little about). The two main characters move from the US, Mohawk land, and Canada across, you guessed it, a frozen river. Melissa Leo was great and the story was very original.
The next day we went to the Arbor (every movie they are showing right now is Oscar-nominated and most of the films we have set out to view are only being shown there - way to go, Arbor! Great and friendly staff, too.) to see "Frost/Nixon." I'll be honest with you, I was not that pumped to see this movie. It was lowest on my Best Picture list and it only won out because it was the only Best Picture film we had yet to see. I was actually going to go see it by myself until a friend who had seen it convinced my husband he should go with me. I was VERY pleasantly surprised!!! The movie was great. Outstanding performances - especially by Frank Langella (nominated for Best Actor). I was entertained the entire time and loved having this sort of window to look back on this event (I missed it the first time around). I would highly recommend it - it definitely moved up on my list.
Sunday we rented "Wanted." My husband had actually already seen this one in the theaters and I had pretty much vowed not to see it. But then it got nominated for the two sound awards and I am not one to discriminate. I still didn't like it very much. I really did try to be optimistic, but I generally don't like action movies that are made for the sake of being action movies. The violence was way too gratuitous, you pretty much dislike James McAvoy's character the entire time (or at least, I did), Morgan Freeman is a villain, and Angelina Jolie's range as an actress is way underused. Then there is this Loom of Fate subplot, could have been cool, not fleshed out at all. Overall, a disappointment with no real commentary on anything. But if you love action movies, this is your film.
So...what's left to even see, you ask? If I had it my way, we would really push to see "Rachel Getting Married," "The Wrestler," and "Revolutionary Road" in the the theater by Sunday evening. And if I was pressed to pick one it would be "The Wrestler" - I have heard nothing but raves about Mickey Rourke's performance and I feel like that's the only way I could accurately have an opinion on Best Actor. As far as renting goes, our only options are "Changeling" and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army." I have already seen "Changeling," and although my husband hasn't, it's kind of long and I don't think Angelina Jolie is going to win Best Actress. As I said earlier, I'm trying not to discriminate against films I generally wouldn't go see, but I didn't see the first "Hellboy," so...we'll see about that one. I may post my picks before the show, but if not I will definitely blog about it all afterwards.
TOTAL side note - anyone watch "The Bachelor" last night? I am embarrassed to admit that I do watch it, but it is my guiltiest of pleasures - I kind of love it. The elimination shocked me, but what I really want to discuss are the teasers for the finale and the "After the Final Rose" special. First - DeAnna - lame plot twist. We don't like her anymore, ABC! Second, Chris Harrison (who may have the best job in the world) and his "intimate, too dramatic" taping announcement kind of got to me - and I have to wait 3 weeks to find out. No thank you, but I will be watching. Dang it.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
"Top Design" 10/22/08 - contains spoilers
One thing I have not addressed on this blog thus far is my love for all things Bravo-related (I am not ready to discuss the move of "Project Runway" to Lifetime). So it should not be suprising that I follow all of their reality competitions. The edition on tv right now is "Top Design" - a design competition for interior designers. My husband and I faithfully watched the first season (Go Matt!) and have followed suit with the second season. I like it - but do not love it as much. I believe the changes have been somewhat detrimental and they follow as such:
1 - Todd Oldham has been demoted (in my opinion) to only a mentor and not host + mentor. He has wonderful insight and is one of the most prominent designers (again in my opinion as a Target shopper) in the country right now. Mr. Oldham is currently relegated to about 5 minutes per episode, if that. Shame.
2 - The addition of India Hicks as host and possibly head judge. My husband hates her accent and, according to Wikipedia, her father was a designer. This fact seems to be her main qualification for the show, although they did mention this week that she has some design books - did not know that before. A sidenote to this point, if she is the head judge that means that Jonathan Adler is not - which would also be a shame. As with Todd Oldham, he has a great eye and he is hilarious!
3 - The sheer volume of team challenges. I really feel like the first individual challenge was the First Annual Top Design Triathalon (3 episodes ago). What a relief that episode was! Finally the designers could stand on their own merits and not whine about how inept their teammates were at life in general.
4 - No carpenters. I miss the carpenters that were featured heavily along with the contestants last season. I thought they were a realistic addition that represented all of the work that goes along with a great design and a great room. Plus they provided my favorite line from last season, courtesy of Carissa: "This is 'Top Design,' not 'Top Karl'!" Priceless.
Onto this week's episode!!!
First of all - this challenge hearkened back to what I loved about the first season of "Top Design." Each contestant had their own 3-walled room down one hallway, not a corner as with previous challenges. They were given their largest budget yet and beautiful Swarovski crystal chandeliers with which to work. We got to see their painting ideas and watch them shop for furniture in showrooms I will never shop in. There was the rush to finish and the examination by the judges - though all with a little less drama. Plus the guest judge was Jonathan Adler's husband, Simon Doonan who is the creative director at Barney's - I know and love him from "I Love the 70's'" on vh-1.
But what I didn't like and what I want to spend the rest of this post examining is my issue with Andrea. Andrea, if you didn't know (which would be unimaginable because it was the first thing she ever said on the show ever and what she mentions at least once every episode), is married to Rick Schroeder of "Silver Spoons," "Lonesome Dove," and "NYPD Blue" fame. I have seen none of these. She put her family first and is only now realizing her dream of becoming an interior desiginer. She has done ok on the show. As Margaret Russell (judge and editor of "Elle Decor" magazine) pointed out last night, she has scraped her way into the Top 5. She is in the bottom two almost every week - "demoralizing," Ms. Russell called it. Each week she laments about missing her 4 kids and husband and how all of her responsibilities at home are what she's really about and she feels guilty taking time for herself. That very well may be, but you're here - make the best of it! Now, in all fairness, I thought her room was awesome this week. She had this gorgeous emerald column chandelier that she built a vintage Hollywood glam room around. She got slammed for her lack of proficiency in styling, but my husband and I didn't notice that (we're amateurs). When the contestants assembled in front of the judges, she completely fell apart, went into this family sob story, and kind of uloaded on Margaret Russell. Ms. Russell gave her some inspiring words and then the judges settled into make their decision. THIS IS CRAZY how it ended up! They gave her the option to stay or go! She was in the bottom two due to her styling limitations, but the judeges really felt she did justice to the chandelier (which is what the challenge was about). So their decision was to send Ondine home. HOWEVER, they let Andrea choose whether or not she wanted to stay and Ondine just had to stand there and take it. Andrea decided to go back to her family, not before asking Ondine for her opinion (are you kidding?!). I mean good for Ondine because she wanted to stay, but I still have a few questions.
1 - You're in the Top 5. Last season they whittled it down to two and then gave them months to prepare for the final challenge at home. So you would have to stay for like 5 more days - max - right?
2 - And then also - aren't all of the contestants sequestered after they are kicked off for confidentiality reasons? Or is that just for the "Amazing Race" and "Survivor"?
3 - What does this mean for the notion of women being able (or not being able) to have it all? Can you be an attentive mother and wife plus have a career of your own? I felt like her decision to leave was a setback in that "have it all" ideal. I would hope (for my own life) that having it all would include a family that supported my career or other aspirations and would understand my absence. That's not to say that Andrea doesn't have that, but she did seem to lack the confidence to strike it out on her own. I don't think I will solve this conundrum on this blog.
Either way, you couldn't stick it out for just a very few more days?!
On a related note, if you saw the challenge where they worked with the "Project Runway" designers, you remember that Andrea worked with Daniel from seasons 1 & 2 and they styled a window around a pretty serious yellow dress. Did you know that Andrea wore it to the Emmy's? She looked good, I must say.
1 - Todd Oldham has been demoted (in my opinion) to only a mentor and not host + mentor. He has wonderful insight and is one of the most prominent designers (again in my opinion as a Target shopper) in the country right now. Mr. Oldham is currently relegated to about 5 minutes per episode, if that. Shame.
2 - The addition of India Hicks as host and possibly head judge. My husband hates her accent and, according to Wikipedia, her father was a designer. This fact seems to be her main qualification for the show, although they did mention this week that she has some design books - did not know that before. A sidenote to this point, if she is the head judge that means that Jonathan Adler is not - which would also be a shame. As with Todd Oldham, he has a great eye and he is hilarious!
3 - The sheer volume of team challenges. I really feel like the first individual challenge was the First Annual Top Design Triathalon (3 episodes ago). What a relief that episode was! Finally the designers could stand on their own merits and not whine about how inept their teammates were at life in general.
4 - No carpenters. I miss the carpenters that were featured heavily along with the contestants last season. I thought they were a realistic addition that represented all of the work that goes along with a great design and a great room. Plus they provided my favorite line from last season, courtesy of Carissa: "This is 'Top Design,' not 'Top Karl'!" Priceless.
Onto this week's episode!!!
First of all - this challenge hearkened back to what I loved about the first season of "Top Design." Each contestant had their own 3-walled room down one hallway, not a corner as with previous challenges. They were given their largest budget yet and beautiful Swarovski crystal chandeliers with which to work. We got to see their painting ideas and watch them shop for furniture in showrooms I will never shop in. There was the rush to finish and the examination by the judges - though all with a little less drama. Plus the guest judge was Jonathan Adler's husband, Simon Doonan who is the creative director at Barney's - I know and love him from "I Love the 70's'" on vh-1.
But what I didn't like and what I want to spend the rest of this post examining is my issue with Andrea. Andrea, if you didn't know (which would be unimaginable because it was the first thing she ever said on the show ever and what she mentions at least once every episode), is married to Rick Schroeder of "Silver Spoons," "Lonesome Dove," and "NYPD Blue" fame. I have seen none of these. She put her family first and is only now realizing her dream of becoming an interior desiginer. She has done ok on the show. As Margaret Russell (judge and editor of "Elle Decor" magazine) pointed out last night, she has scraped her way into the Top 5. She is in the bottom two almost every week - "demoralizing," Ms. Russell called it. Each week she laments about missing her 4 kids and husband and how all of her responsibilities at home are what she's really about and she feels guilty taking time for herself. That very well may be, but you're here - make the best of it! Now, in all fairness, I thought her room was awesome this week. She had this gorgeous emerald column chandelier that she built a vintage Hollywood glam room around. She got slammed for her lack of proficiency in styling, but my husband and I didn't notice that (we're amateurs). When the contestants assembled in front of the judges, she completely fell apart, went into this family sob story, and kind of uloaded on Margaret Russell. Ms. Russell gave her some inspiring words and then the judges settled into make their decision. THIS IS CRAZY how it ended up! They gave her the option to stay or go! She was in the bottom two due to her styling limitations, but the judeges really felt she did justice to the chandelier (which is what the challenge was about). So their decision was to send Ondine home. HOWEVER, they let Andrea choose whether or not she wanted to stay and Ondine just had to stand there and take it. Andrea decided to go back to her family, not before asking Ondine for her opinion (are you kidding?!). I mean good for Ondine because she wanted to stay, but I still have a few questions.
1 - You're in the Top 5. Last season they whittled it down to two and then gave them months to prepare for the final challenge at home. So you would have to stay for like 5 more days - max - right?
2 - And then also - aren't all of the contestants sequestered after they are kicked off for confidentiality reasons? Or is that just for the "Amazing Race" and "Survivor"?
3 - What does this mean for the notion of women being able (or not being able) to have it all? Can you be an attentive mother and wife plus have a career of your own? I felt like her decision to leave was a setback in that "have it all" ideal. I would hope (for my own life) that having it all would include a family that supported my career or other aspirations and would understand my absence. That's not to say that Andrea doesn't have that, but she did seem to lack the confidence to strike it out on her own. I don't think I will solve this conundrum on this blog.
Either way, you couldn't stick it out for just a very few more days?!
On a related note, if you saw the challenge where they worked with the "Project Runway" designers, you remember that Andrea worked with Daniel from seasons 1 & 2 and they styled a window around a pretty serious yellow dress. Did you know that Andrea wore it to the Emmy's? She looked good, I must say.
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