Despicable Me gives the spotlight to those not-so bad guys and gals in Villian Land

The newest entry in the kiddie parade of summertime flicks,Despicable Me triumphed at the box office this past weekend with the third biggest opening for an animated feature this year.

Unlike the other two big cartoon films this summer(Shrek Forever After and Toy Story 3),Despicable Me is not a sequel;instead it's the tale of an aspiring super villian(voiced by Steve Carell)who plans to knock out his bad guy competition(Jason Segel) by stealing the moon.

Part of his plan involves adopting a trio of orphan girls to unwittingly aid him but somehow or other,they form a family which leads to a major change of heart for our unlikely hero:



The movie sounds cute and offbeat enough for both kids and adults,plus it also adds a new character to the ranks of reluctant villain. Those folks who are either evil up to a certain point or decide to walk a better path in life due to the positive influence of another. The best ones don't lose their hard edges completely,keeping just enough snark to satisfy their new found sense of decency in style.

Here are a handful of formerly nasty opponents who now carry their Reformed Evil Doer cards to hand out with pride and a purposely disdainful sneer:



1940 Edition of Lady Catherine: This may come as a shock to some of the Pride & Prejudice fans out there but in at least one Hollywood adaptation of the beloved Austen story,the infamously snobbish Lady Catherine de Burgh is made out to be a secret supporter of Darcy's romance with Elizabeth Bennet,with even the well known confrontation between those two opposing forces being a ruse to find out if Elizabeth still has feelings for Darcy.

The 1940 P&P movie has a truckload of changes from the original material(especially the costumes,which resemble castoffs from a southern belle melodrama),partly due to it being based upon a stage play version of the book(with Aldous Huxley adding a few rewrites to the script as well). However annoying this turnabout to the character may be,the actress who plays Lady Catherine(Edna May Olivier)makes this alternate universe version of her to be most enjoyable to watch:





MIRAGE

Many a time,it's a hench person who backs away from the dark side and unwilling to follow their truly vile bosses on their quests to evil glory.

In The Incredibles,it was Mirage(Elizabeth Pena),the sleek sidekick of Syndrome who realized that her life was considered all too expendable to him and switched sides just in time to help the Parr family escape from the island trap they were on. Mirage wasn't trusted right off the bat(especially by Helen,who didn't like the hands on approach taken with her husband)but her assistance was well timed:





NOAH BENNET

For the first season of Heroes,he was only known as "H.R.G"-Horn Rimmed Glasses,a man of mystery dedicated to tracking down and capturing specially powered people at the behest of a shadow organization.

By the end of that early volume,we knew him to be Noah,adopted father of the seemingly invincible Claire Bennet whose loyalties to "The Company" were shifting when it came to turning his beloved daughter over to them.

Over time, Noah broke off from his former employers and strove to find a way to use his talents to help those he had once hunted. Even in a good guy role,Noah was still one tough customer to deal with,particularly if his special girl was targeted by any and all enemies:





SPIKE

When this Sid Vicious style vampire rolled into Sunnydale during the second season of Buffy,his softer side was strongly hinted at from his deep devotion to psycho psychic Drusilla.

After their break-up,Spike gradually re-focused his twisted affections upon Buffy yet slowly began to reform not only to win her heart but out of real regret over his direction in life(more so when he earned back his soul).

Even when partnered with former rival Angel,Spike never lost his innate ability to deliver a good put down or serve up a slice of the truth when it would most hurt. Despite all of the twists and turns this reformed vampire took,he refused to become a "care bear with fangs",which was good for us all:





CARA

This deadliest of the Mord Sith made her first appearance during the first season finale of Legend of the Seeker,becoming an ally of Richard Cypher's as he ultimately defeated Darken Rahl,her sworn master.

In season two,Cara had no choice but to join the Seeker and friends on the quest to prevent all life on earth from being snuffed out by the Keeper of the Underworld,which her former Sisters of the Agiel had now sided with.

It took awhile for most of the Seeker's companions to fully trust her(and for good reason)but soon enough,Cara became a valuable asset in the fight to save the world and quite a force to be reckoned with,so much so that a back from the dead Darken Rahl tried to claim her again for his side. It took some major mojo to get Cara back where she belonged,at the side of Richard and Kahlan,and one of the real pities about the cancellation of the series is that we won't be able to see more of her on the small screen:



While having an out and out black hat-my-freeze-ray-will-destroy-Metropolis foe to face off of is great for most stories,it can be more challenging to have one that is tempted to change his/her ways and even one up the official hero in saving the day.

Some may prefer the basic templates of good vs. evil but there are times when molds were made to be broken for the better,especially heroes and villains are concerned. Perhaps everyone's a hero in their own way but not every hero is worth looking up to(or villain worth underestimating):

Open Letter to Lindsay Lohan on how to handle jail

Dear Lindsay,

This is not an attempt to mock you in your distress,however,you do have to realize that this current dilemma that's facing you is one that you brought on yourself. Crying in front of the judge gets you nowhere fast,especially after ditching your mandated by court ordered meetings to hang out at the Cannes film festival(Judge Judy wouldn't put up with any of that).

It also doesn't help your cause when talk is stirring about auctioning off the rights to your first post-jail interview to the highest bidder. *Sigh* you really need to take this seriously,not as a juicy career opportunity but as something that could help change your life for the better. Here are a few suggestions for dealing with this upcoming incarceration challenge:



1) Don't believe the hype: Prison is going to be rough but due to budget cuts and overcrowding,you won't be there for long. While your stay is hardly going to be a four star hotel experience,they won't be throwing into some B-movie hell hole.

Getting all worked up over what it's going to be like is merely added stress that you and your loved ones don't need right now. Just accept the fact that jail is where you're headed for a little while and thank your lucky stars that where you'll be locked up is not someplace that makes what happened to the guy in Midnight Express look like a Disneyland attraction:





2) Reexamine your family issues: Without getting into too much detail and all up in your business,it's no secret that some of your problems stem from your childhood and the various dysfunctions of your family. Perhaps a bit of this was covered already in the therapy sessions you did show up for but if this isn't the perfect time to delve further into that,I don't know when is.

Don't take the easy route of "blame Mom & Dad"-sure,they didn't do you any favors in the emotional development department but going that route is strictly a one way street that leads to nowhere good. Learn to accept your folks as human beings who made mistakes and couldn't help but pass them on to you.

Taking a more open minded approach and seeing them as people first can show you more about yourself that you may realize:





3) Check yourself before you wreck yourself even further: Why do you think you won all of those Razzies over a year ago,as a good natured goof? No,my dear,the joke was definitely on you.

Yes, Sandra Bullock picked up one of those dubious honors this spring but she also won an Oscar not long after that,an ambition you once boasted about. Your chances of achieving that goal at this point are about the same as a snowball's chance in hell.

Maybe you're not aware that your name is one of the biggest punch lines around when it comes to silly celebrity starlet gags there. Then again,you might be dismissing those remarks as jealous catcalls;think again,hon. No one is envying your position as the current events court jester these days:





You're a young,intelligent woman who has dozens of opportunities to make something of herself in the world. Instead,all you've accomplished so far is a bad reputation,both in your personal and professional circles,and very destructive habits that could kill off more than your career.

Take this jail time and what I hope is a more reliably run rehab as the loudest wake up call you're ever going to get,Lindsay. It's not too late to turn things around and become the person you truly want to be. It would be nice to someday read a story about you that shows your talents and personality at their best. Good luck and buckle up,dear.

Sincerely,

Lady T and those of us hoping to see you become so much better than before:

Top Chef D.C. checks two contenders out,tastes are tested at Hell's Kitchen and a quick look at the Emmy nominations

It was a high stakes Quickfire challenge on Top Chef last night,as both Judge Tom and Padma each picked a winner,who would receive ten grand as their prize.

The challenge was to make an adult appropriate dish and it's baby food equivalent(Tom and Padma have new additions to their families,which explains the why of this). Tom chose Tamesha's salmon with vegetable chowder as his favorite,due partly to her use of licorice oil in both food formats.



Padma went with Kenny,for his curried chicken with mango salad and butternut squash. Awarding each of them the cash prize meant that there was no immunity for the Elimination challenge,which was to compete in teams of two in a tournament style contest-breakfast,lunch and dinner.

The winning team would have their dish added to the menu of the Hilton hotel chain and two people would be sent home. Yep,a double elimination,folks-double the drama!



In addition to a rep from the Hilton and organic chef Nora Pouillon(guess Judge Gail had a prior commitment for this episode),a trio of former TC contestants joined the eating selection commitee,Mikey Isabella,Spike and Brian Voltaggio.

When it came to the breakfast portion,amongst the winners were Tiffany and Tim,for their Creole crab cake eggs Benedict with bacon hash and asparagus. Not my idea of a great start to the morning but it paid off for these two very well.



Alex and Ed got off to a bad beginning with breakfast;they didn't get all of their food on the plates,including a mini pancake. However,lunch redeemed them and they were in the winners' circle with their sea scallops with ricotta gnudi and broccoli rabe. From what I could see,gnudi is a type of cheesy mini dumpling that goes well with fish,odd for cheese to do that.



By the dinner round,tensions were at an all-time high and I couldn't believe how mad most of the remaining chefs were at having to go the distance here. Geez,guys,maybe it would help if you truly thought of this as a challenge and not as an affront to your culinary egos,seriously.

It was a battle of the short ribs,with Kenny and Kevin's coming up short on the jus(sophisticated gravy,in my opinion)and an uneven blending of horseradish in the tempura. I think their main problem was that they over thought the dish;both of them kept constantly re-tasting and remixing the sauce until it wasn't enough of a glaze to truly compliment the meat.



Kelly and Andrea won,for their braised short ribs with plenty of jus and polenta with shittake mushrooms. In addition to their dinner item making the Hilton menu,each of them got their choice of vacations to either Spain or Italy,courtesy of the good folks at Hilton. Talk about your cherry on top of the victory sundae there!



Heading home with packed knives were Arnold and Lynne,for their pineapple red curry mussels with black squid ink pasta. Not only is squid ink pasta a hard sell to hotel clientele,it was undercooked to boot.

Arnold tried to act surprised about how the pasta turned out but he and Lynne did exchange words about that during cooking(he wanted to get it done right away,she wanted to wait until the last possible minute). Oh,well,guess what's done is done or in this case,under done.

Next time,the chefs have to get over their crabbiness as they are handed live blue crabs for their Quickfire challenge. At least they have something to legitimately take their stress out on this time.



This season of Hell's Kitchen has been shown in double doses,with what I suspect is the need to finish things up before the start of Ramsay's new summer series,Master Chef,which is set to start on July 27 in the same time slot.

The crew of hopefuls here are a rather motley bunch,with not a lot of clear front runners at this point. Holli seems to be emerging and Jay has some skills,but not everyone has a decent palate. This week,we had the blind taste test challenge and sure enough,most of the chefs hit sour and strange notes(how could you confuse coconut with potato,honestly?).

The first bad sign that this challenge wouldn't go well was when Ramsey served them up a frozen dinner that none of them could tell the difference from freshly made dishes. *Sigh* you really have to feel for poor Gordon at this point,dealing with such a pack of pitiful palate players:





The nominations for the 2010 Emmy Awards were announced today,with Mad Men garnering several of them,including Best Drama and a double nom in the Best Supporting Actress category(Elizabeth Moss and Christina Hendricks are duking it out there).

True Blood is also up for Drama but no Acting or Writing shots at the trophy for them(not cool,Mr. Sun!). Glee has 19 nominations,which should make their fan base jump for joy and beating that set of happy feet out for the most noms is the HBO miniseries,The Pacific.

Kathy Griffin is once again up for the "Schemmies" for My Life on the D-List,instead of being included in the Special Guest Star category for her stint on Law and Order:SVU. Hopefully,she won't take that too badly and with any luck,she and Betty White might make an appearance together at the prime time Emmys,since Betty is up for an award from her SNL hosting stint this year. The two of those ladies teaming up on live TV would make for some mighty interesting viewing,I dare say:



RANDOM NOTES:

PILLARS OF THE EARTH: Appearing on the Starz channel later this month is an eight part mini series based on Ken Folliet's renowned historical novel about the power struggles involved in building a cathedral in a small English town. With the likes of Donald Sutherland,Rufus Sewell and Matthew Macfadyen in the cast,this should be a great show to watch regardless of whether or not you read the book:

Bourdain is back to serve up more smackdown soup

Anthony Bourdain is out and about in the book world again,with an all-new memoir of his famous frank talk about the culinary industry at large. Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook is being seen as a sequel of sorts to his infamous Kitchen Confidential,the book that made his bones with mainstream audiences and helped to launch his celebrity cook career.

Bourdain is one of my favorite people to see on a cooking show as a guest judge,mainly because he is bizarrely honest about the quality of the food offered up by the contestants(he once compared a Top Chef participant's airplane entree to a "baby doll's head" and complimented the Thanksgiving dish of a guy on an earlier season for it's "Flintstonian" presentation). His blunt opinions about culinary matters are entertaining to some,a nightmare to others:





While I haven't yet read his latest book,I did enjoy Kitchen Confidential and have even checked out an episode or two of No Reservations(afraid I'm not as adventurous in my eating preferences as he is)but mostly,the best way to appreciate Bourdain is by listening to him hold forth on the rights and wrongs of cooking and how it's perceived both in and outside the kitchen doors.

It's more than just the delight of hearing an amusing rant,it's also that Bourdain speaks from knowledge,which gives some of his gripes true authority in their basic contention.

One of his current targets is Alice Waters,the spokeswoman for the "slow food" movement. While he agrees with her principles,Bourdain wisely points out the impracticality of them being implemented across the board for folks of all economic classes,something she doesn't seem to get(then again,she wants to have shark fin soup as her last meal,hardly a "local" dish there):





He also talks about his experiences on Top Chef,a cooking competition show he actually respects due to Tom Colicchio keeping things real when it comes to judging the food and not the marketability of the chef contestants. Since none of us watching Top Chef get to actually taste the dishes,I'm willing to take his word for it:





Other chefs and food critics are given the rough side of his tongue and while I don't know if Gordon Ramsay gets a mention in Medium Raw,Bourdain does like him as a person but hates Hell's Kitchen with the passion of a thousand fiery suns.

Kitchen Nightmares is more up Bourdain's alley,which makes sense given his work and life experience. Both shows are watchable,for completely different reasons,not to mention that Gordon's British shows have a more down to earth tone to them than the ones produced for the U.S. I do see what Bourdain means about Gordon's nicer side,even tho I've only had the American versions of his shows to watch:



It may be awhile before I get to Medium Raw but no doubt it will certainly be worth the wait. Anthony Bourdain can be a tough customer but he does have his softer side,which ,like most of the best cuts of meat,needs a slow simmer and time to rest after coming out of the pan before serving.

Don't get me wrong,my intention is not to put him in that "crusty old guy with a heart of gold" pigeonhole,however he is as human as the rest of us. At the end of the day,Bourdain is one of those world weary souls who still has a few great stories to tell and would make for a world class dinner guest to bring home on a whim:

Take a listen to Rob Sheffield as he starts Talking to Girls About Duran Duran

Pop culture observer and Rolling Stone columnist Rob Sheffield has followed up his touching memoir,Love is a Mix Tape,with a somewhat lighter but just as lively new book about his coming of age years in the eighties.

Talking to Girls About Duran Duran spans most of his teen years(with a brief stop in his early twenties for flavor)and attempts to cover the waterfront of his life experiences during that most fondly looked back upon decade.

There's sort of a sweet Wonder Years vibe to his descriptions of the past,especially when the tone turns to his family. Rob grew up with a slew of feisty sisters that bullied him with love and attention,occasionally unwanted,and help to set the template for his search for the perfect girl to fall in love with:





Rob also recounts many a summer,where he had various jobs that lead him to discover new music and cultural tastes. One year,he was an exchange student in Spain,where many of the girls adopted him as their mascot to ward off creepy guys who hit on them at the disco clubs.

A song and band that caught Rob's listening ear big time while he was there was Haysi Fantayzee with "Shiny Shiny",a New Wave group that never quite made it big outside of Europe. Quirky sounds like this got Rob to enjoy the sheer pleasure of pop music for it's own silly self:





Along with personal reminiscences,Rob chats about prominent as well as strictly of the moment bits of pop culture flair such as the cassingle.

For those of you unfamiliar with that item,it's a cassette release of a single(hence the word merger there)for many a bouncy tune such as "Funky Cold Medina", "Bust a Move" or any of Paula Abdul's catalog of hit songs. I owned plenty of those inexpensive tuneful tokens myself there and it was fun to see that someone else had fond memories of them.

There's no true discussion of adolescence in the 1980s without mentioning John Hughes movies and Rob gives them their proper due. His main pick of the litter is that classic Molly Ringwald/Jon Cryer/Andrew McCarthy love triangle,Pretty in Pink. I'm more of a Breakfast Club gal(didn't see PIP until a few months ago)but the case for the staying power of this film and fan devotion to Duckie is well made:





Least you think this book is just the literary equivalent of one of those "I Love(insert decade of your choice)" cable specials,let me reassure you that there is more to this than meets the eye.

Rob's writing evokes more than just the nostalgia of a recently bygone age;he gets into the personal minutiae that formed his emotional and intellectual being and yes,even a dark period or two(most of which was fueled by listening to too much Morrissey).

His growing frustrations at being instantly put into the friend zone with girls and later learning to accept that sensitivity and blend that trait into his love life makes for an interesting read and dare I say it,sweet. Also,his admiration for strong women is really great and charming to hear about:





Talking to Girls About Duran Duran will be out and about on July 15,so mark your music reading dial,folks. And yes,Duran Duran is talked about by both the ladies that Rob runs into as well as himself.

He's an unrepentant DD fan who shamelessly loves a band that shamelessly caters to it's female fan base,a rather complete circle of devotion there. At times,it's oddly touching to look at those little pop culture ties that bind people together and Rob's latest memoir makes that often trod path down memory lane feel fresh and new,with plenty of friends who know all the words to "Rio" singing along with you:

Teen book cover art can be both of the times and timeless

Coming to my Must Read pile very soon from Booksfree( my online book loan program) is Lizzie Skurnick's Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading,a collection of essays about those titles once quaintly known as Young Adult books ,which have the more stylish abbreviation YA these days.

In checking out the author's website,I noticed a galley of book covers from several of the works featured that brought back many great literary memories for me. Just looking at those illustrations that caught my eye back in the days when scanning the local library for something new to read sent me back in time faster than a certain souped-up hot tub teleporter.

With such waves of nostalgia taking me over,it seemed like a good idea to see if I could find any other covers from my reading past to present to all of you for some old school show and tell:



STEFFIE CAN'T COME OUT TO PLAY

This book may be out of print but it holds strong in my memory,as it tells the tale of a young runaway who finds the man of her dreams,or so she thinks.

He's a pimp named Favor who turns her out into the streets to earn her keep in a not at all pretty woman way. Yes,it's a cautionary tale but not a sleazy one;think of it as a gritter version of that Facts of Life episode where Tootie almost got hustled into hookerdom.

The 1983 art work has a sad tone to it(not to mention the 1970s look to Favor's pimp wear)and the dime a dance hairstyle and apparel that our cover girl is sporting is quickly belied by the childish features of her face. It's a subtly haunting tone that could've been easily twisted into a bad movie poster or obvious "look what can happen to YOU!" warning sign but fortunately wasn't.



CHLORIS AND THE CREEPS

Another out of print wonder,this Kin Platt novel is narrated by Jenny,the younger sister of cranky Chloris who hates any man her mother dates on sight. When Mom does finally get remarried to a nice guy named Fidel Mancha(now that's a memorable name indeed),Chloris still doesn't let up on her campaign to make everyone else's life as miserable as she feels.

This book(and it's sequel,Chloris and the Freaks)was written in the early seventies,other wise our gal Chloris would be knee deep in therapy and Ritalin these days. Since her stepfather is an artist,having this seriously in need of anger management gal glowering in his art studio(which does get trashed by this nasty little missy at one point)is not only appropriate but a good way of showing her simmering temper towards the world around her.



THE PINBALLS

This may appear to be a tad too symbolic an approach to the artwork but Betsy Byars' story about three kids from troubled backgrounds forming a family of sorts while staying together in the same foster home is deserving of a distinctive cover and it certainly got one here.

The trapped maze that the three main characters are in perfectly reflects the tangled network of legal and emotional boundaries that they must struggle through to come out stronger on the other side.

The book was popular enough to be adapted for an ABC Afterschool Special and even today,the author still gets requests for a follow-up book. It's a shame that we don't have another showcase for YA lit on TV that isn't all vamps and soap opera hijinks(I love vampires,but there is more to offer teenagers out there in the book world). Maybe it will fall to cable to come up with something suitable to the modern day reader and viewer:





TEX

S.E. Hinton's boy centered novels were just as intriguing to girl readers and the urban cowboy cover design chosen here for one of her gentler stories of brotherly bonding was on the heels of the country western revival brewing up in more adult quarters of the pop culture scene.



An interesting side note,the cover photo for the 1982 movie tie-in edition of the book directly echoes the previous art work. That film doesn't get as much love as The Outsiders,but it should be taken out of storage for the next generation to take a look at.

It's a perfect match of subject and theme,when it comes to the cover,and I do hope for a nice special edition DVD to give this little movie the TLC that it's characters are craving but too proud to ask for:



Well,I am definitely eager to read Shelf Discovery and see what insights the contributors to this collection have to offer about those teen books of yesteryear. Many folks are rather concerned about what young people are reading these days and quick to hand over a ton of suggestions for their proper perusal.

In my opinion,however,those kids who caught the book bug early on are more in need of storage space than other tomes to add to their in danger of toppling over piles,so check before you recommend,folks:

The Top Ten Things I learned from Twilight:Eclipse

I got my Independence Day weekend off to a nice start yesterday by checking out the latest cinematic chapter in the Twilight Saga. The movie has already set some new box office records and gathered a few reviews that actually praised this third of four(said fourth part to span two film lengths)entries,which intrigued me to see it as soon as possible.

Eclipse has our now familiar trio of would-be lovers facing several obstacles to their heart's desire,with the major one being preparing for an attack by the newborn vampire army created by the vengeful Victoria(with Bryce Dallas Howard playing the role originated by Rachel LeFevre)and lead by her appointed general,former Forks resident Riley(Xavier Samuel).



One of the things that was enjoyably different about the movie vs. the book was the expansion of the vampire army story line,including a sweet scene in which Victoria uses her seductive wiles on her neophyte vampire leader to send their troops off to battle the Cullens.

Some of this may have come from the recent Bree Tanner novella written by Stephanie Meyer(which I haven't read yet)or not,but it was a nice counterpoint to the romantic angst brewing up between Bella and Edward over their getting married with the addition of Jacob's determination to have Bella admit to her feelings for him. Good stuff there,but taking a gander at the rise of Victoria's troops helped to remind those who haven't read the books that big battle action was on the way.



Another favorable development in the film was how the back stories of Rosalie(Nikki Reed) and Jasper(Jackson Rathbone)were showcased in the narrative.

Those character development moments for these two Cullen family members were necessary to bring them out of the background they've been in for the earlier movies yet their past histories could have easily lent themselves towards a more R rated approach.

However,enough of their former exploits on screen were shown that kept in line with the PG-13 rating required to let in the vast majority of Twilight fans and well handled without either resorting to watered down renditions or becoming distractions to the main plot.



And yes,the Volturi made their presence known by being on the sidelines deliberately during the vampire army assault and while those stylish fiends will have more to do than sinisterly glower in the duo of Breaking Dawn sequels,Dakota Fanning seems to certainly be amused by her role of pain giver Jane.

Her subtle take on the part is a real highlight of the film and you can tell she's chomping at the bit to do more(which she will soon enough). Hopefully,a little extra leeway will be given to her scenes in Breaking Dawn that will allow Fanning to strut her fearsome stuff for the dark delight of all.



Twilight:Eclipse is a movie that will be best liked by the fans rather than newcomers to this series but I think that even someone dragged to this movie by a friend or relative can find something to amuse themselves with here. The battle sequences were pretty entertaining and a couple of well place one liners by both Edward and Jacob give a nice wink and nod to the proceedings.

So,to wrap things up as neatly as I can,here are the Top Ten points to ponder as you walk away from Eclipse:

10) A girl does have the right to know if a vampiress is on the hunt for her:





9) Werewolf telepathy does have it's drawbacks,especially if you're in love with an unattainable girl.

8) Yes,he does own a shirt but all's fair in love and war there,buddy:





7) Having to have a sex talk with your dad is more scarier than facing off against a newborn vampire army.

6) Being in the vampire army means no more tears,unless you want to be dead again:





5) Werewolves are literally hotter than vampires.

4) Just because someone doesn't like you,that doesn't mean she hates you. She might just have an issue with your life choices:



3) Rushing a member of the Volturi into a decision is not a smart move to make:





2) Telling your potential vampire mate not to worry about saying good bye to her loved ones by pointing out they'll all be dead in a few decades may not be the most tactful approach to her emotional dilemma.

1) The Volturi do not give second chances:

Top Chef goes on a picnic,The Next Food Network Star has a triple chef showdown and werewolves have a taste of True Blood

As a tie-in to the upcoming Top Chef spin-off Just Desserts,the Quickfire Challenge on Top Chef D.C. last night was for the contenders to make a pie from scratch. Joining Padma in judging this round was Johnny Iuzzini and regular TC judge Gail Simmons,the future hosts of TC:JD.

Kenny won this round,due to his Bananas Foster pie with currant and Chinese Five Spice,not a common pie ingredient but one that worked out well here.



For the Elimination Challenge, two time TC Masters alumnus Jonathan Waxman(who also showed up on The Next Food Network Star this week;that guy is really making the cooking competition rounds here!)joined the Judges Panel to add his two cents on the grill items that the chefs had to make for 150 Capitol Hill interns to enjoy at a picnic held at Washington's Mount Vernon estate.



Amanda made up for her sherry chicken mistake by whipping up a tasty plate of dry rubbed baby back ribs with grilled asparagus and a smoked bacon hazelnut vinaigrette. While other chefs did make ribs(and express strong doubts about her cooking technique),Amanda's ribs ruled over all of them.



The big winner,however,was Arnold due to his skewered lamb meatballs accompanied by a tabouli salad being the ultimate crowd pleaser. His last name is Myint,as in "mint" flavor so Arnold tries to slip in a taste of his namesake herb in most of his dishes.

Kind of a clever culinary catchphrase,I guess,but hopefully his level of cooking stays at a high enough level that it becomes a tasteless cliche.



In the Bottom Four was Kevin,whose flank steak was decent but his rice and beans had two big flaws;the rice was overcooked and the beans were underdone. He was going for a Puerto Rican style of savory but the judges told him that regardless of cultural cuisine,the food had to be well prepared and flavorful,period.



Tracey was asked to pack her knives and go for her botched sausage sliders. She intended to make sausage and peppers at first but the trouble that the meat grinder was giving her had her switch over to patties instead. The burgers were too big to be sliders and the fennel seed flavoring was overpowering.

Jonathan Waxman hated those patties,saying that he would have expected his ten year old son to make such a crude looking burger,not a professional chef-ouch! Fortunately,Tracey wasn't in the room when he said that,otherwise she might not have held it together as well as she did on her way out.

A double elimination is up next for the chefs and a cooking challenge with another kid theme as well. Should be food frenzy for all there.



While I'm not a big fan of Brianna on The Next Food Network Star,it's only fair to give her props for acing the camera challenge this week and having her pepper themed plate as a featured appetizer at Bobby Flay's restaurants. Nice job,Brianna but lose the diva vibe you're giving off,seriously.



The main challenge had everyone form teams of three and face off against each other to make their own spin on the childhood favorites of renowned chefs Jonathan Waxman,Susan Feniger(another TC Masters player)and Eric Greenspan.

Brad received a much needed ego boost by winning the fried chicken and salad round(Susan Feniger's menu choice). Aarti took top honors with her lamb and potatoes offering to Waxman and Aria won by default in the mac and cheese with steak division for Greenspan(none of those plates turned out too good). Paul took a risk in that round by making a pork tenderloin instead of steak,one that landed him in the bottom here.



Sadly,Das was sent home due to his lack of flavor both in his food and on camera performances. It's a real shame,the guy has tons of potential. Guess he needs a little more seasoning before he can take the food world by storm:



The next episode will be on July 11,a ninety minute showcase that has Paula Deen as the celebrity guest star who will be encouraging the chefs to keep on trucking their way to the top-mark your calendars,folks!:





Finally,we get to meet Alcide,Sookie's appointed werewolf companion on True Blood this season. So far,he and Sookie are getting along good as the two of them are on the hunt for Bill in Jackson and while it's too early for sexual tensions to arise,Alcide's broodiness about his exe Debbie(a real nasty piece of work,from what I remember from the books)is bound to lead them down the path to lover's lane before long.

True Blood is also taking a break for the July 4th weekend but there should be plenty of plot boiling ready to serve up by the time it comes back on the air:



RANDOM NOTES:



DESIGN STAR: A triple player in the no new episodes for Independence Day sweepstakes,there was a lack of harmony in both teams for the latest challenge,which was to use music as an inspiration for decorating a rooftop patio.

Unlike the judges,I was less than impressed with Nina's paint squiggles and glad to see that Alex didn't pay the price for building a replacement daybed for the space with Tom. Trent's going home seemed to be a mutual decision since he didn't like the argumentative energy going on in his team. Pull it together,guys!: