New Year Re'D'ux

KG does My Life on 'D' New Year's show, again.

Home tonight? Watch CNN to see KG turn up the AC at midnight.

Maybe we'll all get lucky and they'll recreate this 'A-list' scene...
* Kathy (& Lance)'s 'wardrobe malfunctions'

Still bored? Comments on KG via: GayTVblog

Blogger's Lament

Every once in a while my blog annoys me.

So I go here to fix the code:
Blogger 'How Do I'
Tips For Website
Blogger main Help topics
Or, when in doubt, Google it: Link: Google

Blog help via video on YouTube:

p.s. easy search for blogspot blogs:
http://nameofblog.blogspot.com/search?q=itemyourelookingfor

Food Frolic

_{hey, if TC can do reruns in mid-play, so can I, after all...}
Continuing my TC game, I finished Level #1. I made a sausage & pork sandwich, with a bit of tomato. TomC: 'Tomato & Basil go well together - Great Dish!' Padma:'The Tomato really worked for me.'
First Tom and now Padma exclaim about my Tomatoes?!
- Gail should be jealous.

The last part had me make three canapes, and the only 'meat' that appeared on the protein shelf was scallops. I can take a hint so I made a cuke and scallop pairing that also got me 5-stars from the judges.
TomC:'You really took a lot of risks with that dish.'
Saved from elimination! Ha! maybe TC really is 'Top (s)Callop'.

Finally, here's a video (not mine) showing the 'cooking'.
fyi: red shelf = meat, green = vege, yellow = flavorings

PC Top Chef

Not 'Politically Correct', but 'Personal Computer'...screenshot of virtual 'me' - just before my first quickfire.
*btw players can click that cleaver to SKIP (chop! chop!) a section...

As you might've guessed, Santa gave me 'TC The Game'. And I just finished my 'test drive'... stopped by a computer error. Windows Virtual Memory wasn't quite ready for the graphics load, which is hilarious since the graphics are minimal at best. Static images slide across the screen, but there's zero actual animation, at least in level one. In fact, every time I chopped (cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, veal) all items were drawn as onions!

Onto the gameplay itself. Be prepared to click your fingers raw - faster chopping = higher score. I survived the first quickfire (and got 2700 points!) for making a 'sweet salad' by sliding images of tomato and cucumber, with a bit of basil, to the cook surface and clicking away. (I also added raspberries and mango which turned into a fruit smear on the plate.) And you know what virtual judge Tom C said about it? ''I didn't expect you to use the Tomato, but it worked.'' Um, Tom?... without that exotic tomato my 'salad' would've consisted solely of cucumbers.

No wonder they don't do salads on Top Chef, The Show.

Follow this link to Baltimore Snacker's TC game post.

TCIF

Thank Cats its Friday?

No reason to post this except its the:

Best 10-Second Cat Video Ever

*even cat haters will lol at 'Karate Kid' kitten

Hippo Holidays

Don't resist; have a Hippo Holiday!

I won't be posting much in the next few days, except maybe bit of snark if TC on the 24th is a new one. So have a great week, all!

Go check out Leslie's original art (above) . I've never met her, but I like her art. (found via Google) So I thought I'd feature her here as a holiday treat for all of us.
*Except perhaps for that hippo in the snow who probably thinks its all part of an evil holiday trick...

Link to the main page of: artist Leslie Sealey's blog.

TC talk

NYC's NPR (& FCI) get talky with TomC:

* TomC used to work at Burger King! *

The downfall of Top Chef contestants is often that they lack good technique. "They have a lot of great ideas but they don't have the technique to pull it off." (raw scallop, anyone?)

Tom Coliccio once called his first TV appearance, on Regis and Kathie Lee, ''the worst experience of his life''.

Well, that certainly explains Kathie Lee's dramatic over-reaction to the food, doesn't it? - Note to self: Kathie Lee can hold a grudge but she can't hold her cookies...

Link to the written article: TomC talks to NPR.

Or go *here* to listen directly, but *warning* you may have to page thru National Public Radio NY's begging ad first - don't say I didn't warn you.

X-hibitionism

Kathy G and Mom, X-citing Xmas.
* Of course her Emmys are part of it.

Kathy Griffin's holiday fixings video: Link: ET! {2 min}

TC = To Court

Tom Colicchio was sued in federal court on Thursday.

In the lawsuit, the waitress, Nessa Rapone, who used to work at the bustling Craftbar restaurant at 900 Broadway, between 19th and 20th Streets, asserted that Mr. Colicchio’s company, Craft Worldwide Holdings, improperly shared employee tips with supervisors, did not keep proper time records and fired her when she protested.

Reading further you find out she worked at Craft for only two months in 2007. And btw, the lawyers are 'seeking class-action status for the lawsuit'. Hmm, sounds just like some other suits targeting high-profile NYC restaurants. (Turning it into a class-action suit significantly increases the payday for the lawyers, as does the lawyers habit of often asking for 6 years back pay.)

TomC: “It’s a baseless lawsuit."
But it probably won't be cheap, or short.

Article: NY Times - text version

Close Shave

Johnny Depp on Top Chef!...

A 'news alert' periodically sends me an email if some newsy article contains the words Top and Chef... And now I got one including Johnny Depp! - imagine - a 'Pirate' or 'Barber' ep of TC!
But sorry, no...

... try the nautically-theme "The Captains' Inn Bed & Breakfast" in Mount Dora, FL. You’ll wake up to a world-class breakfast from Captain/Chef Tamara Spieler, the chef who cooked for Johnny Depp during the six weeks he was aboard ship while filming the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean... ('top' referenced the movie)

Ah well, it was a fun thought while it lasted.

p.s There's a 'Mount' of any height in Florida?
The Inn, if you live in FL or are just curious about Depp's chef.

IC What U Did

automatic straddle: She's Done it Again, She's Managed It - TLW, Like the Cat, Has Nine Times to Die

IC gets AutoStraddled, big time.

(Couldn't improve on Reise's post, so I'll just link., above)
- - -
Meanwhile, Saabstory13 has provided us with 602:

Thanks Saab! (and Mont juic 214)

Speaking of fights that end w/o talking, Mel & Linds:

Foo(d) Fighters

The Missing Pieces of the Foo(d) puzzle.
They should be the 'Foodie Fighters' - their vegetarian/vegan requests are just the tip of their dining iceberg. Every arena they play has to provide an enormous variety of foodstuff - vegetarian and carnivore. Plus FFs require a 3-hour window for each meal which must include hot entrees, so basically the caterers are on standby all day, and work from a provided list of acceptable meals listed by day. Don't forget the bacon.

And don't forget the meal extras:

Breakfast?... must include tablets of 1000-mg Vitamin C
Lunch?... must include multiple cases of RedBull
Dinner?... 'big ass kielbasas' ('make men self-conscious')

And in case 10 hours of catering still leaves them hungry,
the venue is also required to provide local take-out menus.
And check out the extras for their 'Hospitality Room':

Cases of Coke, Vitamin Water, RedBull, Gatorade, Fiji water, juices including Pom juice, protein drinks. Tomatoes, Avocadoes and brand name cheeses. Fresh brand name coffee and tea service. Natural peanut butter. Giant fruit basket. A bag of 'Pirate Booty'(?). Plus Zone Energy bars and various milks, soymilk and breads.

And then move on to the 'Auxilliary Room':

11 cases of various (brand name) beers
6 bottles of various (brand name) wines
3 bottles of (brand name) hard liquors
drink mixers
Doritos and beef jerky ('no Slim Jims')
chewing gum
vanilla, musk, or cinnamon scented candles (!?)
two large oscillating fans (!?)
ashtrays and lighters for four.

Finally, how about some extra-extras?:

DVDs ('no Jamie Kennedy, Martin Lawrence, or sports')
Magazines ('no Spin, Rolling Stone, or People')
t-shirts ('chest pocket preferred')
socks, black and white, 100% cotton
Aleve or Advil
roll-on deodorant
'Airborne' effervescent tablets
toothbrushes
Purell hand cleaner
75 lbs of clean ice

All this, even if they're only in town for one day. 'Sheesh'
If I owned a theater and got this list?
I'd ask: 'You guys planning to sing at all?'
SG link to see 9 pages of the: Foo Fighter's arena rider.

Dinah 'Dylena'

Interesting screencap from mmm's video..._(below)
... A bit of foreshadowing for S6, perhaps?


'Dylan'! Look where 'Denbo' has her digits!

But now, after seeing the latest S6 spoilers, I'm certain I know exactly what IC is actually whispering to them:

'You thought S3 was crazy?... you ain't seen nuthin!'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


mmm's Dinah Shore video:

Apres Knife

Tidbits from Bravo's new 'After the Knife videos:
See the eliminated chefs slumming it!

Wait with them for the next loser to arrive! 'We want the next one eliminated to be fun!'
This season's newest wrinkle? Right after each episode you can jump online to see the newly rejected chef join the loser lounge. The most interesting thing about this week's reveal was that Richard really regretted not throwing Danny under the bus for those ugly, underseasoned and underdone potatoes.

If all the chefs are this candid, I'll be tuning in every week...
Follow this to Bravo's 4-min 'After the Knife' videos.

Souper Chefs

Say a word of Thanks(giving) for a S(o)uper Top Chef!

Both the Quickfire 'entree into soup' test, and the no-kitchen T-day Elimination Challenge were good ones for a group of 14. Good challenges where they really had to think creatively to complete them. Much better than that 'Minute Rice' challenge of last season. I would have eliminated Danny, but Richard didn't get robbed. Nope, can't complain about this ep... except for the excess ads.

During tonight's longest ad block I finished cleaning the kitchen, and made tea and else during the shorter ones. While doing all this extra stuff it struck me how short the actual ep. really was. Does Bravo realize how few ads we actually see, because we know we've got plenty of time to walk away during their endless 'intermissions'?

Maybe -that's- why they don't put TC on DVD - each 'hour' would be only 30 minutes!

Leftovers

Why doesn't Bravo put Top Chef 'On Demand'?
Normally I don't go hunting for old episodes... but Bravo's website, has links to 'Top Chef episodes' - yet its other materials, not the actual eps. But for those who have just recently discovered TC, why not let us see the earlier seasons online? I missed out on S1 and S2 and so I never get the jokes about Marcel, etc. Share, Bravo, share! (link to Bravo's Top Chef)

Bravo's TC question for this week: Did Jill deserve to go home?

Yes - Gail was right about Jill's "lame" defense.
(39% - 2584 votes)
No - Ariane should've gone - dodged 2 bullets in a row.
(61% - 3967 votes)

I'm very surprised at this vote. As minxeats blog so entertainingly shows... Jill was sweet, but couldn't cook quiche or hotdogs - why should she stay?

A.B.C.D-List

A.B.C.D. = 'A-List Bravo Continues D-List'

Bravo signed Kathy Griffin to a 1-year deal including:

- hosting the 2009 'A-List Awards'
- two new 1 hour comedy specials
- plus a 5th season of 'My Life on the D-List'

So "D-List" will begin production again in Jan '09.
'pop culture everyone knows, but KG has the guts to say'

tidbit: columnist applauds KG on tvsquad.com

No Words

S6's wordless promo had a Shane/Niki teaser,

plus a few images of this B&T living room romp.
But considering all the other conflicting information we've had about this upcoming season - wouldn't it have been kinder to include just a few snippets of dialogue?!

RePosed

TLW's new S6 poster needed to be re-posed...


Just 'No' to 'Shenny'. Not that 'Shelena' is perfect, but we did have that kiss-outside-the-Planet anvil for them. Also gone is Kit-in-a-coma, and TAlice because I belive their relationship won't survive to the spin-off. Should I add them back in... or add someone else? (Evil Adele with her black smokes, perhaps?)

* the original S6 poster via Dorothy Snarker

Stefan is Normaali

Top Chef newbies Fabio & Stefan at Grand Central Station.
Once burned, twice shy. Last week it seemed skilled Stefan got the 'EuroTrash' edit. So I dug up his first interview {Bravo, 2 min} and he was chatty and cheerful, not arrogant. Hmm.

My bet? The more it looks like Stephanie will pass her TC toque to Stefan, the more Bravo will try to get us to root against him. Bravo uses controversy to hold viewers (gee, really?) and 3 of the first 4 Elimination winners became 'Top Chef, so Bravo has to do something if TC appears too predictable.

At any rate, he was 'normaali', (Finnish for 'normal') in the above interview, so perhaps he deserves a 'hyvä jätkä' (good guy) edit. Hopefully tonight's episode will give us a clue or two.

Coming Up Rosie

Kathy is flying to NYC to be on 'Rosie Live'.
This 'topical monologue, plus musical & comedy bits' show is at 8pm Wed, 11/26/08. It will be live from NYC's Little Shubert Theatre on 42nd St, which has 500 seats, but no word about tickets. They may all go to 'insiders' & charity, but who knows? Tell me if you find out!

Rosie & Kathy Griffin talk about 'over-exposed' starlets {1 min}

Best Preem

'Variety' just reported the ratings for Top Chef 5.01:

''...on the cable side of the spectrum, Bravo's "Top Chef" franchise achieved a high for its fifth-season premiere, with Wednesday's bow of "Top Chef: New York" garnering what is by far the reality skein's best preem numbers to date.''

And really, who doesn't appreciate a good preem?

* do Hollywoodites really talk like that? 'skein'? 'preem'?

Mondo TC Condo

Top Chef puts its topping on Brooklyn, NY
The chefs are in this mondo luxury condo high above McCarren Park.

Quote - the digs are sweet: “They’re already awesome, but they’ve furnished it like a celeb would,” the source said. “One wall is orange, one is gray, one is purple. They’ve got that funky Real World look going on." (that's supposed to be a compliment...)

Lower level has kitchen and living room, plus two bedrooms,
while the upper level is all just one giant master suite.
So the real q. is: Are the boys, or the girls, the Tops?...

Nosy? A slideshow of their Williamsburg condo

Not enough? Links to TC tidbits via Gawker or Eater

Idita-hot-rod

My current fav reality show... 'cool dogs'.

The Discovery channel has a new show 'Toughest Race on Earth'.
Its the story of the running of the 2008 Iditarod sled race, and
it really lets you in on the action, at least so far. Plus its
much more comfy than actually being there. ;-)
In my area its now on Fridays (tonight) at 8 p.m.

btw, Here are some of the Iditarod art posters

Don't Leave Home w/o Em

KG takes her Em(mys) everywhere!
_{(video, 10 minutes)}
And how many holes has she poked in her shower curtain so far?

Lights! - Camera! - Sirens?

- TLW s6 SPOILER WARNING! -
don't read below if you're unspoiled TLW's production team had this 2200 block of Ontario St. (Vancouver, BC) cordoned off for a night shoot. It was described as a 'crime scene', complete with police cars, an ambulance and a fire truck. This was in the first week of October, so it will be part of Season 6's finale! So S6 gets a funeral... but whose?

CuteKitty guessed the victim could be Tasha the cop. Good guess, since Alice's upcoming spin-off will probably require her to be 'available'. But those buildings on that block look like little houses in the overhead photos... so could this be Bette's house next to Jenny's rental?

(to see larger image of entire block, click image to left)


Google map of area

Sound Check

What a difference a bit of editing makes... The dvds released for Emmy review had an unedited 'rougher' soundtrack than the final show as aired. Its interesting to hear the difference; you get the 'real' sounds of breathing and items clinking, etc.

'UnPlugged' - unedited B&T scenes from TLW 5.06.

Toasty Fingers

Another 'TC' blogger, asked for recipes for her 'Blogiversary Bash'.
Voila, my 'Toasty Fingers' , easy treats to fit on a coffee saucer.

Ingredients : butter, cinnamon, sugar, and bread.
(bread, in slices about 1/2" thick, 1 to 2 cm)

* If the bread is soft (a slice bends when held horizontally)
dry slices a bit in the oven until they're not flimsy anymore

Trim the crusts off the bread.
Mix cinnamon into sugar in a 1 to 20 ratio, or to taste.
Put sugar mix into a wide flat dish, or pie pan.
Soften enough butter to butter both sides of each slice.

Butter both sides, and press each into the sugar mix until lightly coated. While its in the dish cut the slice into 'fingers' ~ 1" by 3". (2cm by 6cm) Tap excess sugar off, and put the 'fingers' in a non-stick frypan on medium.

When they brown to caramel color on one side, flip and do the other side. (2nd side goes quick!) Cool a bit on a plate and done!
Enjoy!

* Amounts/times intentionally vague, since all breads are unique.
You'll know the right amounts after you finish the first slice.

Zoila

'Flipping Out's Zoila
'Flipping Out' viewers knew that Zoila, the maid, hated the portrait Jeff gave her for her birthday. Can't say I blame her. What I wasn't aware of (Olympics lured me away from FO's last eps) was that Bravo put the offending art on their auction page (didn't know they had that either) so Zoila could sell it and use the cash to get what she really wanted - time away. And she'll be able to afford quite a trip with $10,ooo!* - Zoila's auction (link dead? go here)

Discussing Zoila's birthday... (2 min)
*disclaimer on the site says she'll get the 'net' proceeds... hmm.
** catch up on missed eps on Bravo or here

For the 'L' of it

Putting an 'L' back in the weekend...

Nothing to do until TLW's S6 spoilers arrive?
Find 'L' tidbits in these blogs to keep busy.

*no guarantees... but they are unique.


Complic

Closer

CanadianB

Tibette

Sunshine

- - -


'Requiem for a Dream' - has ironically enough, been deleted by CBS/Showtime

* credit to Virgina

Omni 100

*And he likes #42. But he quit reading the list at #66.
They're just trying to keep us busy during TC's hiatus;
after doing the Vege list, up pops an 'Omnivore' one!
So here goes, but after this I think I'm listed-out. ;-)

-1. _X__Venison - imo, off the bone is better
-2. ____Nettle tea
-3. _X__Huevos rancheros - 'si' - ole'!
-4. _X__Steak tartare - like it but never order it out
-5. _X__Crocodile - we've had gator jerky
-6. _X__Black pudding - in England
-7. _X__Cheese fondue - oh yum!
-8. ____Carp - oh yuck, I've seen'm, unlikely!
-9. _X__Borscht
10. _X__Baba ghanoush
11. _X__Calamari - and octopus
12. ____Pho - maybe? - have eaten at V' restaurants
13. _X__PB&J sandwich - did all Americans say 'yes'?
14. ____Aloo gobi - maybe? local Indian buffet is huge
15. _X__Hot dog from a street cart - only if -hot-
16. ____Epoisses - can't get unpastur. cheese in U.S...
17. _X__Black truffle - as tiny pieces in other food
18. _X__Fruit wine made w/o grapes - sure!
19. _X__Steamed pork buns - love'm
20. _X__Pistachio ice cream - yum, but hate it colored
21. _X__Heirloom tomatoes - our CSA grows'm
22. _X__Fresh wild berries - pick'm fresh, yum!
23. _X__Foie gras - my favorite is homemade
24. _X__Rice and beans
25. _X__Brawn, or head cheese - once I think
26. ____Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper - not that brave
27. _X__Dulce de leche - lovely, lovely stuff
28. _X__Oysters
29. _X__Baklava
30. ____Bagna cauda - nope, hate anchovies
31. _X__Wasabi peas - in rice cracker mix
32. _X__Clam chowder in sourdough bowl
33. ____Salted lassi - salty yogurt drink?
34. _X__Sauerkraut
35. _X__Rootbeer float - still miss The Green Store
36. _X__Cognac with a fat cigar - not simultaneously
37. _X__Clotted cream tea - hard to find good CC here
38. _X__Vodka jello - not recently...
39. _X__Gumbo - had it, and hated it
40. _X__Oxtail - in oxtail soup
41. _X__Curried goat - in a Jamaican take-away
42. ____Whole insects - not ~knowingly~
43. ____Phaal - can't take it that hot...
44. _X__Goat’s milk
45. _X__Malt whisky priced (not -worth-) $120+
46. ____Fugu - not til someone eats it first ;-)
47. _X__Chicken tikka masala - niece's favorite
48. _X__Eel - not my favorite
49. _X__Krispy Kreme doughnut - yum 'glazed'
50. _X__Sea urchin - as roe
51. _X__Prickly pear
52. _X__Umeboshi - nummy Japanese plum
53. ____Abalone
54. _X__Paneer - Matar Paneer = my fav Indian
55. _X__McD’s Big Mac Meal - embarrassed...
56. _X__Spaetzle - local deli owner is German!
57. _X__Dirty gin martini - some are horrible
58. _X__Beer above 8% ABV - in Belgium
59. ____Poutine - gravy & cheese fries? woo
60. _X__Carob chips
61. _X__S’mores - 11 seconds in microwave...
62. _X__Sweetbreads - I wanna try the TC ones
63. ____Kaolin - you mean the mineral?
64. ____Currywurst - Jaipor meets Munich?
65. ____Durian - not likely, either
66. _X__Frogs’ legs
67. _X__Beignet, churro, e-ear, funnel cake (all)
68. ____Haggis
69. _X__Fried plantain
70. ____Chitterlings, andouillette - no chitlins
71. _X__Gazpacho
72. _X__Caviar and blini - but not together
73. ____Louche absinthe
74. _X__Gjetost, brunost - love Swedish brown cheese
75. ____Roadkill (Deer, etc. accidentally run over)
76. ____Baijiu - no Chinese vodka for me
77. _X__Hostess Fruit Pie - 'yes' I confess
78. _X__Snail - sounds better en francais ;-)
79. ____Lapsang souchong - smoky tea? hmm
80. ____Bellini - peachy champagne sounds good
81. ____Tom yum - 'ew' to cilantro, head-on prawn
82. _X__Eggs Benedict
83. _X__Pocky - love Japanese snacks
84. ____Tasting menu at a 3* Michelin restaurant.
85. _X__Kobe beef - in a mini 'hotdog', no less!
86. _X__Hare
87. _X__Goulash - see 'Gumbo' above...
88. _X__Flowers - violet, nasturtium, squash
89. ____Horse - not that I know of
90. _X__Criollo chocolate - in eco cocoa
91. _X__Spam - now there are new flavors?...
92. _X__Soft shell crab -none are truly soft!
93. ____Rose harissa
94. _X__Catfish - farmed - pretty bland
95. _X__Mole poblano
96. _X__Bagel and lox - not combined, actually
97. _X__Lobster Thermidor
98. _X__Polenta - see 'Gumbo' again ;-)
99. ____Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
00. ____Snake

Since they inspired me to do mine, I give you StickyGooey's list, and Andrew's original Omni 100.

OPEN-ing shot

The U.S. Open started this week, the day after the Olympics ended. And I found out that's why Andy Roddick (former #1) skipped being on our Olympic team... he wanted to be rested for the Open. I suppose the wish for a medal was outweighed by prize money, since even the worst Open player gets $3000 for qualifying. But check this:

U.S. Open Prize Money (2007)

Singles (Men's or Women's brackets)
Winner gets $1,400,000, 2nd place gets $700,000

Doubles (Men's, or Women's brackets)
Winners each get $200,000 , 2nd place $100,000 each.

Mixed Doubles (Teams of 1 male/1 female)
Winners each get $75,000, 2nd place, $35,000 each

Wow, so you & a partner can play your hearts out and win the Mixed Doubles title, (ta-da!) and still each make le$$ than someone who came in 15th in Singles play? (U.S. Open stats)

Now we know why there are so few 'mixed' partnerships!
But how did those prizes get so uneven, anyway? Do viewers (or advertisers?) really not want to watch 'mixed' teams?

Olympic Oops

A portrait of Myra Hindley, the Moors Murderess convicted of killing children, was included in the British images in the 'London 2012' Olympics montage shown to Beijing athletes. 'Oops'

It was actually a photo of an artwork 'Myra' made out of children’s hand prints, done by artist Marcus Harvey several years ago as part of a Shock Art showing. So, is showing a picture of this the same thing as showing an actual photo of the woman herself? Since she is recognisable, I can understand why relatives of her victims would object even though it was presented as part of a piece of art. Original article from the Telegraph. (incl. 2 min video)

Real Cut-ups

Should I have captioned this 'My Life on the D-ward'?... since here's Kathy G. visiting the amputation ward at Walter Reed Military Hospital.
That was a good finale for the season, but a hard episode for me to watch. But for going where few celebrities go, to bring cheer to the military personnel that came back with injuries that will never go away, KG got a very good review:

''She's worried, though, so she tours some of the wards where soldiers are undergoing rehab. She finds it more intense than a combat zone, but Griffin carries on with laughs and big smiles. She's good one on one. "You handsome guys are all the same," she says to one of them...

See Kathy crying in the hall, where the men can't see her. She's more confused than ever - still trying to gauge what kind of stuff to do on stage...

See Kathy bomb. Big time, which is something we've never seen before, especially on shows that can be edited... Instead of laughs, she gets stares blanker than a barn wall. She's dying out there. So she decides to toss out her act and go totally ad-lib. Presto, change-o, she connects with them and the laughter starts rolling in... Later several people tell her that they're glad she came -- that she boosted the boys' morale. Mission accomplished.'' (the full review is here)

Nine minute clip from the show:

Truly Uneven

The Associated Press tries to explain why Liukin, who tied with He, nevertheless ended up with the silver medal:

He and Liukin both finished with 16.725. They had identical 7.7 start values (the measure of a routine's difficulty) and they each had a 9.025 for execution after the highest and lowest of the six judges' marks were tossed out. The execution mark is based on the perfect 10 scale, and the first tie-break takes the average of the four deductions that counted*. He and Liukin were still tied after that.

For the second tie-break, the three lowest deductions that counted are averaged. When that was done, He had .933 in deductions and Liukin had .966.

Got that?

Weirdly, this rule is only in the current Olympics.
Yes, its true. Had this taken place in years past, or in the Nationals, or during the World Championships then two golds would have been awarded.

Seems like the 'uneven' part of this event was in the new rules.
------------------------------
eta:
*No info given re: who decided which deductions count either.

plus:
A valid rant about how this seems 'funky' to viewers. (4 min)

For the 'L' of it

Putting an 'L' back in the weekend...

Nothing to do until TLW's S6 spoilers arrive?
Find 'L' tidbits in these blogs to keep busy.

*no guarantees... but they are unique.


GenderS

SnowyLover (music 'off', lower left)

JenW

RingB

Chakra

- - -

WNIF 06 - movie rec of D.Snarker

100 Vegies

Vegies by the numbers...

These two bloggers threw down the Vegetable Gauntlet:
DogHill Kitchen -and- Feeding Maybelle.
And since I don't have Top Chef to recap, here goes...

'See how many of these 100 you have tried.'

1. _X__ Edamame
2. _X__ Cha Soba (prefer regular soba)
3. _X__ Arame (love a good seaweed salad!)
4. ____ Earth Balance Buttercream (?)
5. _X__ "Homemade" sprouts (homegrown)
6. ____ Green Bamboo Rice
7. ____ Absinthe
8. ____ Eat at raw restaurant (do at home, no e.coli)
9. _X__ Fresh (real) wasabi
10. ____ Deep fried pickle
11. _X__ Fiddleheads (baby fern heads)
12. _X__ Garlic stuffed olives
13. ____ Smen (maybe in a restaurant)
14. ____ Goji Berries
15. ____ Shiso or Perilla
16. _X__ Amaranth
17. ____ Pomegranate molasses (had'm but not together)
18. ____ Water convulvulus (Water Spinach)
19. _X__ Eggplants: Japan, Indian, Sicilian, EasterEgg(!)
20. _X__ A Zen Buddhist Vegan Meal
21. ____ Kohya Dofu
22. _X__ Wild Asparagus (as kid, picked it near home)
23. _X__ Elderberry
24. ____ Candlenuts (kemiri)
25. _X__ Salsify
26. _X__ Nutritional Yeast
27. ____ Pandan (maybe when out to eat?...)
28. _X__ Roman cauliflower
29. _X__ Anything with acorn flour
30. ____ Poi
31. ____ Chaya (tree spinach)
32. ____ Pitahaya (dragon fruit)
33. ____ Asafoetida
34. _X__ Fried plantains
35. ____ Basil seeds (grow basil, but never ate seeds)
36. ____ Cardoon
37. ____ Durian (eww, seen it but never opened one)
38. ____ Ground Cherry or cape gooseberry
39. ____ Fresh water-chestnut
40. _X__ Cashewnut cheese
41. _X__ Nettles
42. _X__ Tofurky, or any vege product resembling meat
43. _X__ Kimchi (at Kang Suh~sp?~ in NYC)
44. _X__ Masala Dosa (at a local Indian restaurant)
45. ____ Lotus Seed
46. _X__ Matcha (powdered green tea, in foil packets!)
47. ____ Loubie Bzeit
48. _X__ Quince (used to have a quince by the garage)
49. _X__ Blue Potatoes
50. ____ Injera - ew, sour fermented pancakes?
51. _X__ Nasturtium
52. _X__ Turkish Delight or Lokum
53. _X__ Spruce tips (even made boiled 'spruce tea')
54. ____ Breadfruit
55. ____ Mangosteen
56. _X__ Swede or Rutabaga
57. _X__ Garlic Scapes (taught niece to cook w/garlic buds)
58. _X__ Lavash (had 'lavash pizza' in June w/my cousins)
59. ____ Candied Angelica (maybe on a cake?... dunno)
60. _X__ Rambutan (I've had lychee nuts)
61. ____ Sambal (if a restaurant put it on, I didn't know it)
62. ____ Bhutanese Red Rice
63. _X__ Candy-cane /Chioggia beets (our CSA grows'm)
64. _X__ Mango
65. _X__ Ras el Hanout (to make a Top Chef recipe ;-)
66. ____ Vegan marshmallow (are T.Joe's vegan?)
67. _X__ Umeboshi (had it for breakfast in Japan)
68. _X__ Red Currants (and black currants, love'm)
69. ____ Puy or French lentils
70. _X__ Millet
71. _X__ Fresh Bamboo shoot (prob., in Japan)
72. _X__ Jerusalem artichoke
73. _X__ Wild strawberry
74. ____ Jambool
75. ____ Po cha or Yak butter Tea
76. _X__ Adzuki beans
77. _X__ Shirataki (have my zero carb ones in my frig!)
78. _X__ Manioc, yucca, cassava
79. _X__ Quinoa
80. ____ Ramps (I have leeks in my frig, but no ramp)
81. ____ Chufa (sedge is edible?...)
82. _X__ Purslane (have some growing wild right now)
83. ____ Curry Leaves (Kadipatta)
84. _X__ Sorrel
85. _X__ Sumac (had sumac 'lemonade')
86. ____ Vegan cupcake (maybe? but doubt it)
87. ____ Montreal bagel (I had cafe au lait in Montreal)
88. ____ Peri-peri
89. ____ Syllabub
90. _X__ Chartreuse (we cooked w/it long ago - yuck)
91. ____ Kamut berries
92. _X__ Kalamansi Lime (had 'bitter orange', looked same)
93. ____ Aloe
94. _X__ Morels
95. _X__ Raw “bread” (I've had bread dough, that count?)
96. ____ Dandelion wine
97. _X__ Rosti (fried shredded potato with cheese, yum!)
98. ____ Loomi
99. ____ Stinky tofu (sounds awful...)
00. _X__ Something grown by you (lots n lots)

I'm at about 50 so far... if you'd like to do your own tally, see the lists on their pages (links above) to figure out your unknown ones.

Medal Mettle

Just giving a bit of love to the U.S.'s bronze medalists.
The United States has over thirty bronze medals in the Beijing games, but we rarely get to see these 'third tier' athletes do their thing or collect their medals. So here's a big congrats to the folks that worked so hard to collect that hardware.

Go here to see the list of our bronze medalists:

Because Bronze is golden too...

P.S. BTW, who names a girl 'Beezie', anyway? (16 sec video)

For the 'L' of it

Putting an 'L' back in the weekend...

Nothing to do until TLW's S6 spoilers arrive?
Find 'L' tidbits in these blogs to keep busy.

*no guarantees... but they are unique.


Beautifool

Hyperv

Lilos

GirlsInt

PinkIs


- - -

When You Kiss Me - music video

No Slowpokes

USA women took gold, silver & bronze in sabre!

One of my old roommates was a fencer. And in her honor I pay attention every time they show women's sabre, foil, or epee matches during the Olympics. And this year I was amazed to see our USA ladies pull off a sweep, the first ever for an American team - wtg!

Interview (2 min) with our Ward (bronze) and Zagunis (gold), 2/3rds of our sweeping sabre three. *Sorry, Jacobsen (silver) wasn't there.

For the 'L' of it

Putting an 'L' back in the weekend...

Nothing to do until TLW's S6 spoilers arrive?
Find 'L' tidbits in these blogs to keep busy.

*no guarantees... but they are unique.


Desert

Gaymo

HeartF

PulpF

ConnieL

Wiz Woz

Steve Wozniak, the Wiz of Apple, prefers to be called just 'Woz'.

And he's not dating Kathy Griffin. But he did go out with her a few times. In all other respects he seems relatively normal for a billionaire. And if you really want to know what he thinks, you can post a question for him on his website!

opens in new window: Write Wiz Woz

For the 'L' of it

Putting an 'L' back in the weekend...

Nothing to do until TLW's S6 spoilers arrive?
Find 'L' tidbits in these blogs to keep busy.

*no guarantees... but they are unique.


GayLep

Brill

Movies

Corr

Bonsoir

Looking Up

Numbers are up for KG.

Not ratings... tho they may be as well, but numbers of Google News mentions. Never before would a (fake) news report of KG's assistant leaving her job make the news. Now its all over the place on any page that has ever mentioned KG. And it makes me wonder if that original story was a plant, because it appears to have started on Perez Hilton's site and I'm guessing he'd be game for that sort of attention ploy.

*The last time I checked, the news links to a google query for "Kathy Griffin Jessica" was over 60 links, click below to see what the count is now:

Link to Google News

For the 'L' of it

Putting an 'L' back in the weekend...

Nothing to do until TLW's S6 spoilers arrive?
Find 'L' tidbits in these blogs to keep busy.

*no guarantees... but they are unique.


Souc

WhereT

LawS

Listener

GildedM

Slightly Spoiled

*Yes, I modified the photo to fit... my view of the show
Let us recap the S6 spoilers so far:

Kit will have that Prison Break guy swooning in drag.
Molly, Phyllis, and Jodi will appear in two eps each.
Eliz Berkley (boo!) and Alex Hedison (yeah!) will appear.
Papi returns from limbo, Lenore (Alice's Mom) does not.

Plus an 'online spin-off' starring an unknown cast mem?
Color me underwhelmed...

Laugh Out Loud

Stayed out of the hot sun and did this quiz...
--------------
Funny, I don't see the resemblance...
Feel free to try it yourself: (opens in new window) Workout Quiz

For the 'L' of it

Putting an 'L' back in the weekend...

Nothing to do until TLW's S6 spoilers arrive?
Find 'L' tidbits in these blogs to keep busy.

*no guarantees... but they are unique.


AllThat

WorkingR

CounterP

ImNotAlice

Immoral

Don't Cry Out Loud

Unless, of course, you're on a Japanese Game Show.
This past week they dressed the contestants up like giant babies.
Which is quite appropo if you've seen this bunch of 'winners'...
Here's an Ep1 50 sec clip - until I can find the 'baby' one it'll do: