Thursday, April 30, 2009

Oh Catsup Cake

Oh to be a Canadian today...

yes, this is the catsup cake
PRESS RELEASE: ''To commemorate its Canadian centennial and thank Canadians for 100 years of support, Heinz has created The Great Canadian Heinz Ketchup Cake.''
Still don't believe? Here's the recipe:
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) cinnamon
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each, nutmeg and ginger
1/2 cup (125 mL) Heinz Tomato Ketchup
1/2 cup (125 mL) water
2 tbsp (30 mL) red food colouring
3/4 cup (175 mL) Butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) dark brown sugar, packed
2 Eggs

FROSTING:
6 oz (175 g) solid cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup (175 mL) Butter, softened
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
4 cups (1 L) Icing 'powdered' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease two, 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Stir flour, b powder, cinnamon, b soda, nutmeg and ginger in bowl.
Stir ketchup, water and colouring in a separate bowl. Set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar in large bowl til smooth. Add in eggs. Add the flour mix and ketchup mixture. Beat on low, til combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat 1 minute.

Bake 30 min, or til centre springs back when touched lightly.

Cool cake 15 min before turning onto rack to cool.

Frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla on medium for 2 min. Gradually beat in the sugar on low, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat on high until fluffy.


Because if there's anything that grows well in Canada its a -tomato-?
*thankfully the frosting is tomato-free.

link in new window: Ketchup Cake.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The Nifty Fifty

No 'Top Chef' tonight? Find fun fare elsewhere...

Food Network's U.S. Burger countdown, state by state

click for Food Network's 50 Burger page
*click* on the image to go to their 'live' map


California's 'In-n-Out' was the only 'chain' I noticed.
Chicago's 'Kuma's Corner' sounds more like Hawaii.
And NY's burger joint? Amazingly, "Burger Joint".

And for my Charm City pals - Baltimore's winner is:
Mother's Fed Hill Grille 'Heart Attack on a Plate'
Is it any good?

Monday, April 27, 2009

Tribeca Film Festival

Wish I could be there, but a new job keeps me from going to NYC. I'll have to live vicariously through some friends who saw this one Saturday... {3 min}
(also Tue 4/28, 4pm - Wed 4/29 & Sat 5/2, 6pm)



This year's Fest includes 24 full-length comedies.
How do you like your laughs? Regular, or Dark?
COMEDY: (20)

City Island - USA, 2009
Easy Virtue - U.K., 2008
The Good Guy - USA, 2009
Guy & Madeline on a Park Bench - US
Here and There - 2009
In the Loop - U.K., 2008
Masquerades - 2008
A Matter of Size - Israel, 2009
Midgets Vs. Mascots - USA, 2008
My Last Five Girlfriends - U.K.
My Life in Ruins - 2009
North - Norway, 2008
Rudo y Cursi - 2008
Serious Moonlight USA
Stay Cool - USA, 2009
The Swimsuit Issue - Sweden, 2008
TiMER - USA, 2009
Vegas: Based on a True Story - USA
Whatever Works - USA, 2009
Wonderful World - USA, 2008

DARK COMEDY: (4)

Black Dynamite - USA, 2008
Don McKay - USA, 2009
Hysterical Psycho - USA, 2009
Original - Denmark, 2008
link: Tribeca Film Festival Guide

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Hot Crispy Buns

Swedish boys do the Crisp Bread Dance...



...and its a recipe for success, yes?


Thanks to Mrs. C. for inspiring me to dig up this English-subtitled version, thus proving Sweden's Got Talent. Or at the very least, 'showmanship'. Here's hoping they bring home the dough. ;-)

Comely Commodes

Now your castle can be complete.

(Their product, and slogan)

'Happy Valentines, Sweetie!...' (ew)


For Halloween?... Okay. Sure.



But a potty (and contents) as an Xmas gift?...

(btw, you can vote here: Hot or Not )

Had to share. Sorry.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Kneed To Pay For Parking

original picture credit to albanpix.com
click for larger Daily Mail image
Welcome to the really 'Short Stay Car Park'... Shrunken 3ft-tall parking machines were installed at a short-stay car park in Sheringham (UK) to make them accessible for the handicapped. Guess what? The wheelchair-bound drivers hate these midget meters too. The Daily Mail article.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Harper's Island

Road-testing this new thriller-mystery series tonight.

Harper's Island, CBS, Thu 10pm
Suppose they named it that because most of these islanders will be getting their harps (& halos) before the show's final scene?... The show's tag-line:

“Harper’s Island: 13 Weeks. 25 Suspects. 1 Killer.”

{2 min}

Kind of like 'Cast Away', but in a whole new way.
Missed it last week, but betcha we're down a few suspects...

Eco Bountiful

*click* to see SHOW DETAILs, and get TICKETSPutting their best Eco Fashion foot forward today.

Wow, until today I'd never heard of it.
Must've been living (and dressing) under a rock...

NYC's Project Earth Day Fashion Show "a unique annual showcase of the most innovative brands in sustainable design"

... "The seeds of the future are encapsulated in the hearts and minds of student designers, and Project Earth Day’s organizers recognize this fact by hosting a student design competition each year. This year’s prizes are eco bountiful and the media coverage will be extensive"...
*click* to enlargeEco Fashion for Earth Day? Just never pictured NY's fashionistas decked out in durable eco gear. Should be unique... especially bearing in mind that this (left) was 2008's Grand Prize winner, complete with eco-earmuffs, excess strapping, and pouch pockets. (click for close-up)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Lie To Me Today

Giving this new 'Lie To Me' show a test-run.
Jennifer Beals guest-stars as 'Zoe Landau', assistant U.S. attorney and the ex-wife of Dr. Cal (Tim Roth) the world's leading deception expert who studies involuntary body language to discover not only if someone is lying, but why.
Hm. JB is 5'11" in heels, and Roth is 5' 7".
This being American 'heightist' tv, want to bet they won't stand them side-by-side much?



{1 min} 'Lie to Me' airs Wed at 8 pm ET on Fox.
* I'm catching earlier eps on: FOX online TV.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Live Long And Promo

FYI: Even if you don't 'Trek', this site is addictive.

Try Trek Yourself
, it allows you to turn any image into a Star Trek character, and have them (or it) say anything. Click each to see mine in action. Their eyes follow your mouse as they chat - woo.

May I now present 'Spock Betty':(new window)
*click to see it* *You can add 'live' embedded versions on blogs, but beware that they begin to talk as soon as someone opens your page. Thus I used stills - click mine to see. (Cheez-it ad is short)

click to see
My 'VulcAngelina'. *Helpful hint: she's more seamless, and her eyes track better, because I was more careful in the 'center your image' step.

Freud as a Romulan
(quoting Freud, no less)


Tickle Me Elmo 'Captain'.. heh heh..
Saving the best for last?.. You decide.

click to see (each in new windows)

Monday, April 20, 2009

KG Unseen

pic credit: www.birdsinthebelfry.comIs KG apologizing in advance for
'Footage You Weren't Meant To See'?
Bravo Press Release: 'Uncover hidden hilarity from the first 4 seasons of "My Life On The D-List" with an all-new special featuring never-before-seen moments from the series including: her drive-by to wave hello to her fans waiting in line for her show at Madison Square Garden, Team Griffin playing a game "10 Things We Hate About Tom", and the Team receiving massages from burly guys at the Bear Ball. "Kathy Griffin: The Footage You Weren't Meant To See" premieres Mon, Apr 20 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.'
So tonight we're getting unseen yet 'hilarious' clips? Hm. Cross your fingers it'll be fun bloopers vs. scenes that should've stayed deleted.

p.s. UPDATE: Well, tonight's Bravo listing shows 'Top Gun'
So maybe they couldn't find enough 'hilarity' after all?


While we're on a similar subject - Why don't the dramas on DVD ever include 'bloopers' in their extras?

Sunday, April 19, 2009

The Royal Wee

*click* to go to 'The Sun'
Sun headline: 'Prince Charles admires pair of boobies'

Reason #1 why I read 'The Sun': the photos.
Reason #2, the articles -
'The Royal Wee':
A pub landlady is auctioning off a toilet seat from her bar — after the Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla) popped in to use her loo.
Pint-puller Chris Azerkane is hoping the throne seat will raise a bog profit from Royal fanatics after placing it on eBay.

Chris, 52, said she was busy washing up in the kitchen of the 'Hare and Hounds' in Framfield, East Sussex, when her noble guest arrived to pay a visit... “The first I knew about it was when a load of posh cars started turning up in our car park...

Camilla: ''Hello, we’ve just come down from Gloucester do you think I could use your loo?''
And 'Yes' the link does include a pic of the toilet seat.
UPDATE: the eBay bids are up to 67 pounds.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Blame Canada

A cute Canada Moose, sold by Gransden - click to go there.Didja look in the mirror and see a Canadian, eh?

From the WSJ: Canada Issues a Wake-Up Call...
Thanks to a new law, Canada will bestow citizenship Friday on what its government believes could be hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting foreigners, most of them Americans...
So, U.S. actress Laurel Holloman, among many other Americans with Canadian relatives, may have become an ice-maiden herself this week. How odd. But it may bring her (and many others) a chance to work in Canada without having to jump through hoops to do it.
Hey, not bad there, eh?

{1 min}
See above, the Canadian government's video about it.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Famous Faces

a unique FBI line-up...Anyone here look familiar?...

Actually, the image above is part of a visual puzzle from the FBI.
When you click this Famous Faces link you go to a color photo of 40 faces that are in some way related to the FBI, and your job is to guess who is who. Hint: #39 is a not a Conehead from SNL.

But the FBI does have a sense of humor...

... there are 3 'FBI agents' from TV shows in it.


*click image at top to see just the answer page

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Laurel Holloman

BTW, She'll be accepting this award tonight... Want to know how I found out so far in advance? Mouse over the image.
Image Credit to Getty Images
This pic at the Getty site is labelled as a winner!  *click* to go there
The 'A-List' Awards air tonight on Bravo, 9 pm

Some of the 2009 Nominees:
(UPDATED, winners in BOLD)


A-List TV for 'freshest, most creative & innovative'
· "Gossip Girl"
· "Mad Men"
· "The Office"
· "30 Rock"
· "True Blood"

A-LIST FEMALE ACTOR - in a scripted tv series whose character portrayal has enthralled and entertained us more than any other.
· Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who"
· Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
· January Jones, "Mad Men"
· Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"
· Chloe Sevigny, "Big Love"

A-LIST MALE ACTOR - same
· David Duchovny, "Californication"
· Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
· Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother"
· Julian McMahon, "Nip/Tuck"
· Hugh Laurie, "House"

A-LIST FUNNY Awarded to the cool of comedy.
· Tina Fey
· Ricky Gervais
· Chelsea Handler
· Conan O'Brien
· Amy Poehler

SEXIEST TV MOMENT
the couple that made our windows steam, our TVs fog.
· "Gossip Girl" – Chuck & Blair in the limo
· "The L Word" – Elevator Scene J.Beals, L.Holloman
· "Lost" – Sawyer & Kate on the chopper
· "The Office" – Dwight & Angela
· "True Blood" – Bill & Sookie's Love Scene


A-LIST CELEB-TAURANTEUR - Sandra Bullock's Bess Bistro

A-LIST INNOVATION - new MacBook

A-LIST Style Male: Justin Timberlake
A-LIST Style Female: Gwen Stefani

A-LIST Cover: NY Magazine's Eliot Spitzer cover

So, tacky + campy = Audience of Happy Campers?

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Just A Minute

*click* to go the site
Woo... another Award!

This time via the One Minute Writer blog. The theme was 'Celebration of Life', and I'd just been looking at his tempera piece 'Snow Hill', thus my minute missive:
Remembering Wyeth.

He loved his life on the hillsides of Maine and PA. His art grew from those days on the hills.

Now he's gone, but not really. He's left the most vibrant parts of his life for us. His art.
That's how I really feel, so I'm glad I spent that 60 seconds on her site. Thanks for reading, C.Beth!

Doppelganger KG

credit to NY mag
We're getting a double dose of K.G. tomorrow.

A new special "Kathy Griffin: She'll Cut a Bitch," is airing on Wednesday, April 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, right before she hosts Bravo's second annual "The A-List Awards."

So KG fans?... better get your taxes done -today-!

via Bravo, and the Futon Critic

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Peepster

Click for more 'WAYS TO EAT A PEEP'
and 'Happy Easter!'... (thanks geeksaresexy.net)


A great 56-sec video tribute to both Hitchcock &
'... 'The Peeps!'

Friday, April 10, 2009

Pick Your Party

She has a Star from the Hollywood Walk of FameA computer game based on the new 'Party Down' show?
* This Starz show has only been on the air for a month!

According to the promo, this game has:
Beautiful Hollywood Party Locations!
A Mix Of Different Time Management Styles!
Fend Off The Paparazzi To Keep Guests Happy!
Chat With The Stars!
The show is fun, hopefully the game is too.

Anyone tried it? Any reviews?...


Download the game: Party Down, the game
Watch Party Down the show online.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Judge Carla

Carla tries out the other side of the table...

NPR asked viewers to send in 'your best garlic recipe', and then asked local DC foodies to pick the best from the final three winning recipes. And 'Chef Carla Hall': competitor on Bravo's Top Chef and the owner of Alchemy Caterers, was one of the judges! (The NPR garlic recipe article.)

{video}

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

FBI Track Wolverine Pirate!

pic credit to www.sharplead.com - click to go there
''Wow... are the 'X-Files' open again?''

That was my first thought {after I finished laughing} when I read that actual headline 'FBI track Wolverine pirate' on an article in the Daily Telegraph. But sadly, it was just announcing that the FBI is in pursuit of whoever leaked an advance copy of the new X-Men film. Not an X-File in sight.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Party Down

Care to party in L.A? - its a new 'Starz' show.

Daily News: 'How’d this new series come about?'
'Rob Thomas (of 'Veronica Mars') came up with this idea for “Party Down” a while back. He shot the pilot at his house, did it for fun, and a few years go by... and Starz picks it up.'
'
'L.A. catering company “Party Down”, employs struggling artist/misfits who mingle with guests at everything from sweet16 parties to the most lavish Hollywood soirees.'

This sitcom premiered March 20th but I didn't see it then, since I don't get the Starz channel. (if you do its Fri 9/10:30pm)
Luckily, we can also watch it online.
Its fun; I'm adding it to my paltry lineup of shows.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Me & Top Chef, NYC

My New York Top Chef Tour photos!

Friday (3/27) we made a looong drive to NYC to pick up some bulky items near Madison Square Park. Not fun, until I spotted the TC Tour truck! Alas it was too late for any demos, so I just took a few pics.
*click to enlarge any individual pic.
click to enlarge The Truck
click to enlargeToday's Chefs
click to enlargeTC crew cleanup
click to enlargeLife-size cutouts!
click to enlargewheel of TC prizes
click to enlargeLast TC store items
click to enlargeSet side of truck
click to enlargethru left window
click to enlargethru right window
click to enlargeSet, thru door
click to enlargeBravo disclaimer

This (above) was on a 3 ft board by the door.

All the fans that got inside had to first agree to risk being photographed, or used in promo materials or possibly -dying- to be allowed in.

Makes you wonder just what Nikki was serving...

A+ List

pic credit: www.dragoart.comMore famous faces added to Bravo's 'A-List':
Justin Timberlake
Sandra Bullock
Padma Lakshmi - - Ana Ortiz
Kenneth Cole (the shoe guy?)
Kendra Wilkinson (?)
Lance Bass - - - Niecy Nash
Lisa Lampanelli (I've seen her live)
Rachel Dratch - - Maria Bamford
Jenni Pulos - - - Todd English
Milla Jovovich - - Gwen Stefani
Neil Patrick Harris
Jenny McCarthy - - Emily Procter
Chelsea Handler - - Kelly Rowland
Laurel Holloman
Tyson Beckford - - Kate Flannery
Bruce Vilanch - - Fred Willard
Jose Andres - - - Cat Cora
Rafael Saadiq (music)
''... are all gearing up to appear on 'The A-List Awards''
- That means tiaras plus elbow & knee pads, right?

'Bravo' for casual awards... yeah they're all still giant 'pat-us-on-the-back' fests, but at least they're fluffy, not stuffy.

FYI: Kathy Griffin, “My Life On The D-List,” will host the ceremony, honoring 'the best in food, fashion, beauty, design and pop culture' on Bravo, Wed. April 15 at 10 PM EST.

Friday, April 3, 2009

True Flavor

pic from 'Arsenic & Old Face' (link below)
Top Chef's Stefan and Carla do a Cook-Off!

In Chicago on Saturday April 4th? - you're in luck.
Their duel is at the Merchandise Mart, from 6-9 p.m.

Its sponsored, ironically enough, by a place called 'The Chopping Block', and here are the True Flavor Cook-off details. Anyone up for a quick flight to the Windy City?

p.s. will upload my TC truck pics -this- weekend, honest!

*Pic credit to Arsenic and Old Face; he likes Carla too!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Sardine Cupcakes

Maggie at DogHill Kitchen has outdone herself!
Dog Hill Kitchen: Spinach and Sardine Cupcakes


And this is why I read her blog...
Because I'm all about the homemade treats.

*Note she provides nutritional value links. Plus, any frosting that includes a cup of extra virgin olive oil and pureed spinach can't be bad for you... right?...

p.s.

Happy April Fool's Day!