Top Chef TX rounds up their contestants,Work of Art gets ripped and a TAR couple needs to get a grip

The last of the 16 contenders for Top Chef Texas were chosen last night,as the third group of potentials were given their special challenge by Padma,Judge Tom and new judge Hugh Acheson.

The chefs had to pick trays of various ingredients to cook with that had pre-set timers underneath covers. Once everyone had chosen their tray,the clocks were revealed. One group had twenty minutes to cook,another had 40 and the last batch were granted 60 minutes.



The time restriction was tricky for some,like Chaz who didn't have his risotto plated when the clock ran out and had to pack his knives and go. He was worried about having only 40 minutes and was nearly done but a last minute inspiration came way too late for him.

On the other hand,Beverly managed to make her Korean style octopus tender enough to wow the judges. She was concerned with the toughness of the fish and sliced it into small chunks,which turned out well for her. It'll be interesting to see how far she goes in the competition.



After the third group was finished up,only two spots remained open. The chefs who were placed "on the bubble" then had their chance. They were allowed 45 minutes to cook whatever they wanted within the stocked TC pantry.

Laurent decided to go with a duet of scallop,with a tartar and a seared one with saffron and fennel. Judge Tom was repulsed by the raw version,saying it looked gray and unappetizing. The flavors for the whole dish didn't mesh very well for any of the judges and Laurent's second chance was his last.



Out of the six folks on the bubble,Ed was the first one to earn his TC jacket. His barbecue duck was a little overdone but the Asian custard that he made with it helped him over that hurdle. Ed cut his hand pretty badly during the cooking process but just slapped on a glove and kept right on going,which gives him a few bonus point there.



Joining Ed was Grayson,who wound up in the bubble group due to the hacked up piece of meat she had to work with on her earlier try-out. Her bacon wrapped shrimp was made exceptional by adding fig(which goes well with bacon,according to Judge Tom and Hugh),a risky yet good choice that paid off.

I'm glad that she made it and looking forward to seeing the first Quickfire of the season next week,that has a scary surprise in store for the chefs. Just be glad you don't have to cook this lively protein on a plane!



At the beginning of this week's Work of Art episode,the artists were taken to the printing offices of the New York Times to choose a headline from the old papers dumped on the floor as their inspiration.

They also had to use actual newspaper in their piece and while immunity is no longer an option,the prize for this challenge was 20 grand and having your artwork displayed in the NYT lobby.



One of the pieces considered for the win was Dusty's take on an article about rising depression in America,due to the economy.

His map of the country with silhouettes of sad citizens played well to his strengths as a mixed media artist but I don't understand why Dusty kept insisting that this was a "dark" work for him.

Dude,you made a trashcan that chastised people for eating fast food and one of your portfolio pieces is an American flag made up of toy soldiers. There's no need to distance yourself from doing something like this at all,particularly when it was relevant to the theme given here.



Lola's,on the other hand,was another one of her typical messes yet the judges seemed enthralled with it. She picked a solid topic,an article about the makeshift weapons that Libyan rebels had to work with,but her array of newspaper covered tools and a barely visible under direct lighting sketch looked scatter shot at best.



For the second time in a row,Young was the winner. His piece about the persecution of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei consisted of bundles of blacked out newspaper with his own headline about the artist's disappearance on them.

It was pretty basic but got the message across in a very direct yet compelling way. Young said that he plans to use the money to take his ailing mother to Korea,a trip that she's been wanting to make for awhile.



Sarah K. had her first critique with the judges but unfortunately,it was for her piece landing in the Bottom Three. She had a review of a memoir about author William Styron's mental breakdown and chose to shred the paper's type into teeny tiny pieces that were confusing both to their source and meaning.



The Sucklord was under fire once again,for his take on an article about the BP oil spill and their attempts to pay off those affected by the environmental damage. He did try to step out of his comfort zone and even abandoned his early efforts at it,creating stacks of artificial cash spattered with oil.

However,at this point,the judges(especially Jerry,who I have something in particular to say to in a moment)are less than inclined to appraise the Sucklord's work fairly.

They seemed rather peeved that he used strips of the NYT paper to bind the money,which was his way of incorporating the newsprint into the work as instructed,and then saying that it was meant as criticism of the Times for not hitting hard enough at BP in their coverage.

Gee,Jerry,would that particularly annoy you,since your wife is a senior art critic at the paper which is something that you should have at least mentioned to the artists before the critique? All I'm saying is that if guest judges on Top Chef can openly point out that he or she has worked with one of the contestants previously but will not allow that to affect their decision,so can you.



Bayete was sent home,for his set of doors that was supposed to be a mix of criticism of the flashiness of organized religion and a theater review of Sister Act. It was an incomplete thought at best and also an attempt to do something different that just didn't pan out for him.

Next week,the theme is street art and the artists have to make their own outdoors piece. Too bad Tewz was eliminated since this is right up his alley. This is also a team challenge,which should pump up the drama rather nicely.



Being overly competitive is the norm for the teams on The Amazing Race but Ernie and Cindy really take the cake for this season. Not only have they been griping nonstop,even though they're been in the lead for some time now,the two of them actually got upset that they wound up in second place on the last leg.

The surfer dudes Tommy and Andy barely beat them to the Pit Stop in a mad dash on the beach and instead of being happy that they are still in the running,Ernie and Cindy whined about their brief loss instead.

They should have been kicking themselves for cashing in that Express Pass of theirs so soon(they'll regret that not before long). I think they were even getting on Phil's nerves and he's seen his share of self indulgence on this show. You need to get over yourselves,Ernie and Cindy,or the game will get over on you:



RANDOM NOTES:

THANKSGIVING LIVE: On the Sunday before Turkey Day,Food Network is hosting a live cooking of a typical holiday feast with some of their notable chefs. Nice to see at least one channel that is willing to embrace Thanksgiving rather that give it the bum's rush in favor of Christmas:

I don't care if you want to start a Book Riot,author baiting is not cool

Yesterday,I noticed a stir at Jennifer Weiner's Facebook page(yes,I am listed as one of her fans there)and saw that she was speaking out on Twitter about an article written about her and Jodi Picoult at the new literary website Book Riot.

Entitled "Why aren't Jennifer Weiner and Jodi Picoult pissed at Jeffrey Eugenides",one of their bloggers wondered about the lack of a fuss over Eugenides' new novel ,The Marriage Plot,from these ladies similar to the one made about Jonathan Franzen's Freedom around the same time last year.

It's a pretty snarky piece that basically is complaining about the fact that no one is complaining about the Eugenides book or the great big billboard that his publishers put up in Times Square,which has been mentioned online in many places for the last couple of weeks. This part really ticked me off(words in bold print are my emphasis):

"And then Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Weiner got on Twitter and coined the term “Franzenfreude,” a word that conveyed the annoyance of these bestselling female authors who write in the same sphere of Franzen’s Freedom (that is to say, suburban life and domestic problems) and have yet to see their pretty faces on TIME magazine, much less see a review of one of their works in The New York Times Sunday Book Review."



That "pretty faces" remark is incredibly condescending to me. No matter on what side of that debate you were on,there is no excuse for making personal put downs like that. As much as I had my own misgivings on the Franzen situation,I would not deny anyone the right to have their say on the matter or dismiss their grievances so cavalierly.

Not to mention the fact that Eugenides' new novel isn't getting the same amount of fanfare that Franzen's did(the reviews for the book have been mixed for the most part) and that both Weiner and Picoult stated repeatedly that they had no quarrel with Franzen but were unhappy with the literary media circus that seems more invested in male authors over female ones.

Jennifer Weiner,not being the type to take such guff lying down,expressed her displeasure on her Twitter feed and I say,good for her. There are plenty of us out there willing to support her right to speak her mind instead of engaging in catty baiting.

Perhaps it never occur to the Book Riot writer that maybe one of the reasons that Weiner has no complaints regarding The Marriage Plot is that she has better things to do,plus tons of other books to read and give her share of the conversation to. If it didn't,maybe that BR writer isn't as savvy as she thinks she is:





To tell the truth and shame the devil there,the hoopla over Franzen's Freedom was way over the top and then some. I still haven't read it yet,mainly due to knowing that no matter how good it is,the book just can't deliver on the hype.

That's not the author's fault,of course. However,it would've been nice if Emma Donoghue had gotten the same kind of love for Room that Freedom did(both novels were out about the same time). Some art works are just not appreciated in their time or not as much as others,that's the name of the game.

Even people who praised the book were honest enough to admit it's short comings and there's nothing wrong with pointing out the insane level of adulation Freedom was receiving as well:



In the end,what truly disappoints me is the whole attitude that this Book Riot blogger had about literary disputes:

"There’s nothing I love more than a good literary scandal. It’s so deliciously incongruous. Book people are supposed to be quiet and reasonable and wear prescription glasses.

So when the literati goes nuts, for me, it’s about as hilarious as the Marx Brothers guest-starring in an episode of I Love Lucy and in that episode there are about eighty-seven instances of pies in the face and a hundred and twelve pratfalls, which is to say, crazy-hilarious and nuts-awesome."



In other words,"Amuse me with your petty arguments,minions! I crave entertainment at your expense!" Think I'm exaggerating,folks? Check this out,if you will:

"So I’m waiting and waiting and waiting for my mishigas. And… there’s no mishigas.

What gives? Where’s my literary knock-down drag-out? How come a situation that so closely mirrors last year’s Franzen-bashing barely registered on the Book Scandal Richter Scale?"

You know,it's one thing to say "here they go again" if another controversy from the same parties crops up,it's another to simply stir up trouble because you are in the mood for something to sneer at. That is a total super villain attitude to take and not in the best sense of that word.

Such a superior stance is repulsive to say the least and if all you're looking for is something to play with for a while before annihilation,be careful that it doesn't decide to fight back before you get the worst of the bargain:

A mixed bag of romance reading from the Old and the New Skools of thought

As some of you may know,I tend to talk about the books that I find at my local bi-yearly church rummage sale and this past weekend lead me to a couple of interesting finds. When I walked over to the books for sale,my immediate response was to snatch up the lone Georgette Heyer gem on the table.

The Spanish Bride is categorized as a Regency Romance on this 1984 Signet cover,but it is actually one of Heyer's historical fiction titles.

Based on the real life couple Sir Harry and Lady Juana Smith(who became the namesake of a township in South Africa),this novel chronicles their first meeting and romance during the Napoleonic Wars. The Spanish Bride is part of a series of books that Heyer wrote about this time period,which also includes An Infamous Army(another book that I have to get to)and a rather sweet addition to my growing Heyer library:





Another impulsive purchase was Rosemary Rogers' Wicked Loving Lies and I must confess,it was partly due to the bright purple color that coated the cover. The author's name was somewhat familiar to me but after a little more internet research,my memory was fully refreshed.

Rogers was one of the mainstays of what romance readers call the "Old Skool" style of writing in this genre back in the 1970s and 80s. She,along with gals like Kathleen Woodiwiss,wrote historical romances that were more open about sex but also indulged in very non-P.C. character interactions,for which the polite term would be "forced seduction".

Regardless,I do plan to give this book a try. After all,how can you appreciate the advances and advantages of the present if you don't take a look back every once in a while at the setbacks of the past? The term bodice ripper may sound quaint and harmless but appearances can be deceiving,no matter how pretty the picture:





What I do know of Old Skool romance as well the New comes from checking the ultimate in romance novel coverage,Smart Bitches,Trashy Books and one of it's founders has a brand new book on this subject.

Everything I Know About Love,I Learned from Romance Novels is Sarah Wendell's take on how to apply the positive messages gleamed from her favorite literary genre to your actual love life. With input from several best selling authors and readers,EIKAL is a light and lively approach that educates as well as charms.

I treated myself to a copy and plan to place it next to Beyond Heaving Bosoms,an earlier Smart Bitches look at love between the pages,once I'm finished. I'm not rushing through it,of course-taking your time is highly recommended in this field,so they say:





Tackling these romance titles might be best to hold off on until after New Year's. With the long winter months yet to be upon us,these might be more satisfying reads to warm my shivering spirits up to.

Besides,I also have an Eloisa James book that I picked up at the last rummage sale and Desperate Duchesses might make for a nifty compare and contrast with Wicked Loving Lies(Rosemary Rogers really liked those cheesy titles;her biggest seller was Sweet Savage Love).

I'll try not to wait too long,since hesitation can be a major buzz killer. Some choices in this world need to made decisively or you'll wind up being a permanent lady in waiting,with no one to take you up on any offer of love,fictional or otherwise:

A parade of Poirots for our Agatha Christie giveaway winner

Good day,friends and readers and welcome to you all as we are happy to announce the winner of our LRG Agatha Christie Giveaway who will be receiving a lovely "Queen of Crime" tote bag,courtesy of this blog and Harper Collins.

*Evening gown clad presenter walks over to microphone with envelope,testing the mike for sound. Once she is satisfied that it's working properly,envelope is opened*...and the winner is.....Beth in Colorado! *applause,cheers and confetti are flying through the air*

Congratulations,Beth and thank you for entering. To claim your prize,please e-mail me with your preferred mailing address at livingreadgirl@yahoo.com(it would be helpful if you titled your e-mail Christie Prize Winner)and your tote bag will be shipped out to you as soon as possible.



In honor of Beth's win,the rest of this post will showcase clips of her favorite Agatha Christie detective,Inspector Hercule Poirot. While Christie did write a number of stand alone mysteries,a good deal of her popularity in the genre came from her stories featuring the dapper Belgian sleuth who slowly but surely made his way towards the murderer hiding in plain sight.

One of the best known Poirot tales is Murder on the Orient Express,written in 1934 and made into several film versions.

The most successful one was the 1974 movie directed by Sidney Lumet and cast with a strong array of stars including the likes of Sean Connery,Richard Widmark,Lauren Bacall and Ingrid Bergman who received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role at the Oscars that year.

Poirot was played by Albert Finney,who was up for Best Actor but didn't win. The movie was given a slew of other Oscar noms as well and did well enough at the box office to inspire Hollywood to make more ensemble big budget Christie adaptations. However,Finney chose to be Poirot this one time,a mystery worth pondering:





Peter Ustinov took over the role for six films,including 1978's Death on the Nile which had such grand dames as Bette Davis,Angela Lansbury and Maggie Smith on deck for a mysterious death combined with the disappearance of an expensive strand of pearls.

I remember seeing this film on cable back in the eighties and being enchanted with the interaction between Poirot and the various suspects,especially Bette Davis. She had quite a presence there(she would've made an excellent Lady Catherine if someone had the sense to remake Pride and Prejudice back then).

Lansbury was also a delight to behold and rather amusing to see in this Christie caper before she was cast as Miss Marple a couple of years later in The Mirror Crack'd:





Speaking of Miss Marple,many Christie fans longed for her to team up with Poirot but the authoress thought that was a very bad idea and never wrote a story that placed the two of them together.

That didn't stop filmmakers from trying to connect these two crime fighters on screen. a 1965 British version of The Alphabet Murders slipped in a cameo appearance by Miss Marple(played by Margaret Rutherford)who loudly comments on the case while walking by a perplexed Poirot(Tony Randall)in the street.

Given his reaction to her analysis,perhaps Christie was right all along in keeping them apart in print:





Nowadays,film editions of Christie's work are made for TV affairs,with a good number of them featured in the Mystery section of PBS' Masterpiece series. David Suchet is considered by the majority of Poirot enthusiasts to be the best incarnation of the character in any media format.

I do have a slight recall of seeing Ustinov in Evil Under the Sun,which had several changes from the source material but after viewing Suchet's Poirot in this clip from his version of that story,I am intrigued to check it out. Seems we both share a discomfort at being urged into a health regimen:



I hope to hear from Beth soon and to catch up more on Hercule Poirot,both in book and film form. Miss Marple is still a favorite with me but it never hurts to take a few cues from Monsieur Poirot on murder. How else would I know to listen for the Evil Voice in order to detect the true villain of the piece?:

I'll take Disappointing Dinners for 600,Alex!

With Thanksgiving to look forward to,the focus tends to be on the big holiday dinner. Most folks love to savor over their memories of the wonderful dishes lovingly prepared and shared with family and friends,delighting in the edible joys to come.

However,it's also important to remember those feasts that were flops as well. The best way to avoid making mistakes in the future is by keeping the past within quick recall,after all. To stir up some of those less than appetizing meals,let's dig into this pop culture buffet of bad dinners:



THE DREADED TOFURKEY

Trying out new foods is always a great idea,except during the holidays. People prefer to stick with their favorites around that period of time and making radical changes to the family menu is pretty much a recipe for disaster.

Just about the only time that the Barones on Everybody Loves Raymond got along was for Thanksgiving dinner but even Frank refused to join his kin when Marie and Debra both decided to make them eat healthy for once. The last straw for all assembled was the tofu turkey,which was not only a challenge to eat but to carve up:





ECONOMIC EATING

Not everyone has Thanksgiving,of course,but lackluster meals are universal. During the WWI years on the original Upstairs,Downstairs, the family cook Mrs. Bridges did her bit for the war effort by attending a cooking class on how to make the most out of food rations.

She resisted the very notion at first,but soon enough surprised the staff with a whole dinner of patriotic yet tasteless fare. Mr. Hudson was in favor of her going to begin with, but after sampling a slice of "Win the War" pie,both he and his stomach soon regret the success of his subtle manipulations:



SOME THINGS SHOULDN'T BE GUESSWORK

Many bad dinners don't even make to the table,as a classic error of would be chefs is to make snap judgments on how much to make and for how long. Fred and Ricky found that out on one I Love Lucy episode,where Fred's skimpy seven layer cake paled in comparison to Ricky's massive rice eruption. Just a hint,fellas-one pound per person is not an ideal serving size:





A TEACHER IS ONLY AS GOOD AS HER STUDENT

Half the battle in making a good meal for any occasion is in learning the right way to cook,but some people are beyond even the reach of the best instructors. They tend to say that a student is only as good as their teacher but that's not the case in every situation or situation comedy.

Granted,Reba would never consider Barbara Jean as the best in anything but even she felt sorry for her when Cheyenne's home cooking lessons drove the perky gal to utter despair. Barbara Jean did possess patience but her limits were clearly defined after some kitchen time with Cheyenne:



The real meaning of Thanksgiving is about being with your loved ones but things do go smoother when there's a tasty dinner to partake in. It is good to be truly thankfully,even if your plate is packed with toast,popcorn and jelly beans,because crankiness is generally worse than unexpected food items and may prevent you from getting another invite to supper there:

Top Chef takes on Texas,Work of Art gets childish and a first impression of Grimm

A brand new season of Top Chef started off last night,taking this year's pack of potential players to Texas. Everyone met at the Alamo,where Padma informed the 29 chefs gathered there that there were still some hoops to jump before any of them could claim the 16 spots open for competition.



The contenders were split into three groups with each one being given a challenge that they all must share in. The best of the bunch would get their official Top Chef jacket while others had to go home. For the rest,Padma announced that they would be "on the bubble" and have to compete in a special fourth round as their last chance to enter the game.

Two new judges,in addition to Tom and Gail,were also announced. One is Hugh Acheson,who competed in Top Chef Masters(we'll see him next week)and the other is Emeril Lagasse,who has been a previous guest judge. Glad to see some fresh faces at the regular TC panel and experienced chefs at that.



Group One had a whole pig to cook,with each person choosing the part of the animal to cook and some having to rely on others to butcher their meat for them. Unfortunately,that trust was abused for one particular chef. Grayson chose tenderloin as her main protein and Tyler,the guy who was supposed to carve that out of the pig for her, did a terrible job of it.

He chopped up that meat so poorly that she barely had anything to work with. Judge Tom noticed his shoddy skills and sent him out the door,before Tyler could even cook anything. Happy to see that,especially since he was an annoying braggart to begin with. Grayson did the best she could with what she had,yet still wound up in the bubble group. I hope she makes it in!



Other folks in that round did very well,such as Sarah who whipped up a pig skin ravioli and Chris Jones with his pork belly stuffed into a caramelized apple with applesauce. The triumphant chefs then headed off to check out the house they'll be staying in for the show.



Meanwhile,Group Two had a selection of products set up for them and everyone in that bunch had to agree on the one item they all would work with. Rabbit was the decided upon protein and deemed to be versatile enough to showcase everyone's skills.

Ty-Lor Boring(that appears to be his actual name)impressed the judges with his confit of rabbit legs with tomatoes and fish sauce,which earned him a TC jacket right on the spot.



Joining was Whitney,for her rabbit sugo that had shallots,bacon and tomatoes and Keith who did a triple play,as he had chicken fried rabbit,a braised confit and seared tenderloin along side Yukon potato hash. I've never eaten rabbit but that sounds good to me.

Next week,we'll see how Group Three does and find out if anyone trapped in the Bubble breaks out. Perhaps we might even get to an actual Quickfire challenge and really get this party started.



Work of Art had a visit from producer Sarah Jessica Parker,along with a group of kids who were integral to the next challenge.

Each adult artist had to make a piece that connected with the artwork their assigned young person had created. The winning piece would then be auctioned off and the proceeds given to the public school art program that the children were enrolled in.



First off,the Most Improved Since Last Week award goes to Dusty,whose experience as a fifth grade art teacher truly paid off here.

The kid that he had to work with made an abstract which had little doorways in it,so Dusty made a large "Portrait for Kei" with flaps that opened up and showed different aspects of his subject.

It was a good use of materials and imagery,plus it cleverly tied into the inspiration piece. Dusty was in the Top Two and should have won,in my opinion.



That dubious honor went to Kymia,who basically pumped the young lady she was assigned for more information about the simple carrot drawing that she had made.

The little girl gave her a story about a dead girl who ate everything in her path and died after eating the carrot,something that you couldn't visually connect to right away,which was a requirement of this challenge as stated by SJP(who was also the guest judge this round).

While Kymia's technique for "Alana's Story" was excellent,her creativity in making a direct connection to the original was seriously flawed. For some strange reason,the judges overlooked that element and gave her the win.



Rightfully in the Bottom Three was Sarah H.for her sad trio of pictures entitled "When I was 10". The inspiration piece that she was given was a brightly colored collage of words that made the girl who painted it happy. Sarah's choice was to paint her unhappy childhood instead,making it more about her than the painting she was assigned to connect with.

A personal depiction of your past woes is fine for your own show but the assignment here was to relate to another piece of art and she flat out failed to do that. Not to mention that it was hard to talk about the problems with Sarah's effort when all she did was cry(sorry,hon,but there's a time for tears and this wasn't it).



The Sucklord wasn't completely satisfied with his "Secret Tree" but felt that it was more important to please the little girl whose weeping willow painting was his starting point. Judge Jerry lead the complaints,threatening to get "medieval" with the Sucklord if he added any more Star Wars figures to his future pieces.

First of all,Jerry,spare us your lame threats-you're challenging a guy who knows the name of Gandalf's sword,okay? No contest on that front. Second,you kept griping about how the Sucklord didn't create his own world within that secret tree sculpture.

As Sucklord pointed out,that tree was supposed to be a secret world of imagination for kids and do you know what kids use to make their own special reality? That's right,toys! Whether it's Star Wars,Transformers or My Little Pony,children make up their own unique games and stories using those time honored trinkets. I think you're the one with the stinted imagination here,Jerry.



Tewz was sent packing,for his urban take on the still life of vegetables that was his inspiration piece. He decided to make a concrete sculpture that formed the word "Grow" ,with plant life shooting out of the cracks. The judges insisted that his piece didn't connect to the veggie picture at all and that Tewz wasn't knowable enough to do more with it.

I totally disagree,as did The Sucklord who went to Tewz's defense. To me,that piece was a perfect "city mouse" companion to what could be properly called a "country mouse" painting. As a city girl myself,it was a reminder of all the walks I've had where bits of greenery were sprouting from the cervices in the sidewalk and if those so-called judges are too short sighted to see that,the fault lies with them.

The big challenge for next week takes place at the New York Times,where past headlines are meant to be the focal point. The Sucklord may be struggling with this one but I'm going to be rooting for him until the bitter end.



The second of this season's fairy tale based series,Grimm,debuted last week and I have to say that it's pretty interesting so far. David Giuntoli stars as Nick,a homicide detective whose latent psychic senses are beginning to wake up due to the ailing health of his Aunt Marie(Kate Burton).

Nick is the latest in a long line of monster hunters and not only are many of these scary creatures hiding out in the open,they are well aware of the Grimms and their compilation of details about their magical prey.



The world building seems solid and with the addition of potential sidekick Monroe(Silas Weir Mitchell),a reformed Big Bad Wolf,as comic relief,this show does have promise. Nick being a cop will be handy for hunting down the monsters but hopefully,there's more on the horizon in terms of long term storytelling.

I'm going to give Grimm a few more episodes before deciding whether or not to stick with it,particularly since Once Upon a Time airs during my usual Sunday night fare and my Friday evening schedule is more flexible. With any luck,we may have a good reason to watch weekend TV again:



RANDOM NOTES:

CHEF HUNTER: This new series starts on November 10 and is set up as an audition for those hoping to claim executive chef spots at major restaurants. For folks hungering for behind the scenes fine dining fare,this should hit the spot:

Why Tower Heist is destined to make out like bandits at the box office

The big movie for this first weekend in November is Tower Heist, which has an ensemble cast with the likes of Ben Stiller,Eddie Murphy,Matthew Broderick and Gabourey Sidibe on board to raid the high rise home of a shady business man whose financial hijinks have robbed them of their
retirement funds.

The buzz on Tower Heist has been strong,due not only to massive commercial time it's been receiving on TV and online over the past few weeks but also to the timeliness of the story line.

Not to get all political here but just a quick glance at our current circumstances. along with Bernie Madoff's family peddling their tell-all book,Occupy Wall Street's expansion across the nation and news of major housing companies(which contributed to the current financial crisis)handing out incredibly huge bonuses to their staff, tells you that some comic relief is sorely needed here and the crime caper theme is the perfect cherry on this silly cinematic sundae:





Movies like this have cropped up before,especially when regular folks are feeling the pinch in their wallets and those living above their means have to take a few steps back as well.

A few of these films began to appear in the mid 1970s such as Fun With Dick and Jane that had suburbanite couple George Segal and Jane Fonda become stick up artists in order to continue keeping up with the Jones-es.

The 2005 remake with Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni didn't fare so well with audiences or critics but it may have been remade a little too soon. The reception for the original film was mixed as well yet for many it holds up far better than the new version ever will:





By the time the eighties officially started,the cash crunch was being felt most keenly. Women at this time were struggling to make ends meet,mainly without the support of men either in or out of their lives. That brought on an attempt at smirky sisterhood in 1980's How To Beat The High Cost of Living.

Future sitcom co-stars Jane Curtain and Susan Saint James teamed up with then newcomer Jessica Lange as a trio of truly desperate housewives who decided to rip off a big cash giveaway at their local shopping mall.

The humor is far from subtle here and while it may be dated in it's references,this attempt at female bonding humor shouldn't be completely ignored:





Even older folks wanted to get into the game,as 1979's Going In Style really lived up to it's title. Classic comedians George Burns,Art Carney and Lee Strasberg played the bored retirees looking to make the rest of their existence a bit more interesting and profitable.

While their motives may sound self serving at first,the limited finances that these gents were in are and were very real. The charm of the film is the matter of fact manner and down to earth sensibilities displayed within the plot and towards the characters.

There wasn't any attempt to make elderly people cutesy crude or to overplay the humor. One of the best scenes in the movie is when George Burns lays out the practicalities of the outcome of their intended crime and he does make it sound like a safe bet either way:



Of course,no one is advocating resorting to crime as a viable solution to any type of money woes as the consequences are truly dire. Tower Heist may be an unintentional sign of the times but I for one won't begrudge it any of it's expected success. Movies like this are a harmless escape that audiences need and having a laugh at the insanity of it all can help you cope, no matter where you are within the 99 percentile:

Some Jane Austen advice for the upcoming Kardashian divorce

The big celebrity gossip buzz this week is all about Kim Kardashian's impending divorce from her brand new husband Khris Humphries.

After an elaborate ceremony of Vegas proportions and a mere 72 days of somewhat wedded bliss,the dissolution of their union was announced online,much to everyone's surprise(including the groom,apparently)and opinions on the subject are flying about fast and furious.



While I could care less about the Kardashians and their over hyped life styles,I do have a word or two of consolation for the unfortunate soon-to-be ex husband and even the erstwhile bride herself. There is one thing that's much worse than breaking off a hasty marriage and that is being stuck for years in a very bad one.

One need only look to the works of Jane Austen to see the results of a long time relationship that binds two people together in disharmony. The first example that comes to mind for most is Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice.

Granted,Charlotte never intended to marry for love but dealing with the sneering suck-ups antics of her obnoxious mate for life is a punishment so great that even her good friend Lizzy couldn't bear being relieved of such a burden at Charlotte's expense. While their friendship managed to survive,the best that Elizabeth could do to ease the marital discomfort of her dear friend was to offer some amused emotional support:





Gentlemen in Jane Austen novels were not exempt from living with their poorly thought out romantic decisions,as Sense and Sensibility's Mr and Mrs. Palmer awkwardly demonstrate.

Mr. Palmer is hardly the warm hearted sort of fellow but his wife's relentless cheerfulness and chatter could be reasonably seen as so annoying that even Mrs. Santa Claus would want to smack her and scream "Shut up already!"

His best defense against his spouse's ever present giddy presence is to be offensive whenever the opportunity arises,which only makes things more hilariously worse for him:





Of course,it's not just the married couple who suffers from a misalliance. Having to receive one obnoxious person into your social circle is bad enough but getting another who makes the first one look like a joy to be around in comparison is truly double trouble.

While Emma Woodhouse was bound to feel uncomfortable upon meeting the wife of the man she tried to set up with her friend Harriet who thought he was actually courting her, the woman that he ultimately chose to be Mrs. Elton wasn't the type that Emma would like under any circumstances.

Pushy,pretentious and presumptuous are the perfect three Ps that suitably describe this far from charming lady and even Mr. Knightley at one point admits that Emma chose a better bride for Mr. Elton than that gentleman did for himself:





If you want to talk about long term pain,consider how being married to a cranky person can be a drag on the entire family. While Persuasion's Anne Elliot was always a welcome visitor at the home of her in-laws,her sister Mary Musgrove made them often wish that they could exchange one sister for the other.

Mary is rather like that poem about the girl with the curl on her forehead;when she's feeling good(a rare occurrence),her temper is very good. When she's feeling bad or ignored,being in her company is beyond awful. It is difficult to decide which attitude is more objective;Mary's insistence on being the center of attention during the most inopportune moments or her unreasonable rudeness towards her husband's relations:





Whether or not the Kardashians will find a happy ending,it's a comfort to know that despite the changing notions of society,some concepts from the past are still relevant to the world we're living in today.

Also,consider the advantages of being able to get out of a bad marriage so easily. The men and women of Jane Austen's time were not so lucky and even if they succeeded in getting a divorce,the stigma of such an event made life afterward that much harder to bear,in both public and private.

That doesn't mean,however,that you should rush into marriage for one reason or another. Some might say that happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance but your odds are greater when love and prudence go hand in hand,as any Austen girl can tell you: