Can a movie be better than the book?

There's an old adage amongst book lovers(and some film fans subscribe to this as well)that is used whenever they're disappointed by the latest Hollywood adaptation of one of their favorite novels-"Well,you know,the book is always better than the movie."

But is it really the case,every single time? I boldly have to raise my hand and say"no". This may not seem like a big deal to some folks,but to many,this notion would be considered literary blasphemy. Nevertheless,I offer up three examples of well known novels that were more enjoyable to me on the silver screen than the printed page:




THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK

The only John Updike novel that I've ever read,mainly due to having loved the 1987 film version starring Cher,Susan Sarandon,Michelle Pfeiffer and of course,Jack Nicholson. It turned out to be the last Updike as well.

The major change from script to screen was that in the book,the trio of small town ladies were well aware of their magical powers and used them willingly for petty vengeance.

I didn't mind that,but Updike's rendering of these gals was colder than a witch's teat and not as thrilling as the vivid characters from the movie. Also,the book is drier than an overcooked Thanksgiving turkey.

The movie's not perfect,either(it gets way too special effects happy towards the end)but if I had my choice,I'd see that again before picking up another Updike novel:






THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY

One of those books that many people turned into a fad and then woke up later to say "What was I thinking?!" The only good thing about reading this book for me was that I didn't have to pay for it;a cousin of mine let me have his copy and I should've known something was up when he and his wife didn't want it back.

Not that I blame them;ten to one,someone stuck them with this dreck and like any other cursed object,it had to be passed on to an unsuspecting soul to break the evil spell this tripe held over their personal library.

I later saw Oprah tote both the book and movie,claiming how she and others"cried and cried and cried" about it. I would buy that(in the case of the book) if it was followed up by "that this pretentious crap cost me so much wasted time and money!"

The book is so bad that Meryl Streep flat out refused to be in the movie,but Clint Eastwood won her over. Eastwood showed his true talents as a film maker here,not only in starring and directing but by having a screenwriter(Richard LaGravenese)add in some much needed realism and even expand the story by having the adult children of Streep's character discover her long ago affair and coping with that newly enhanced image of their mother.

The improvements to the story were so good that you wish the source material had been written with as much care and thought to emotional details,instead of going straight for the sap:






AMERICAN PSYCHO

To be fair,I have tried to read this book but never gotten very far into it. Bret Easton Ellis is one of those trendy writers from the 1980s that never impressed me much-the kind of author that once you have read their signature novel,you're pretty much done with them.

Ellis got alot of flack over this book and horror genre/pop culture historian David J. Skal has an interesting theory about that. In his book,The Monster Show,Skal points out that there were many other novels out around the same time that showcased even more nasty bits of violence towards women that American Psycho.

However,those books were mass market,middle class paperback rack horror books while Ellis' book took place in the upper class,high society world that shunned the very notion that someone from their elite set would ever entertain such gruesome ideas.

I think Skal was right about that to some degree and to the credit of director and co-screenwriter Mary Harron,a good portion of the film adaptation focused more on the social satire elements of the story rather than the gore. It's rather ironic that a book so fervently decried by feminists was made into such a memorably smart and sinister film by women:






While I'm in a confessional mood,I also have to admit that sometimes,I don't mind some of the changes made to a book once it becomes a movie. My favorite one is the ending of Interview With The Vampire,a film that stuck pretty close to the novel,despite a bit of tweaking here and there. That final scene was quite the surprise and much to my surprise,a real delight.

Not everyone liked it(particularly devoted Anne Rice fans)but I think it worked and it's a real shame that Tom Cruise didn't play Lestat in another movie. Cruise showed a real flair for villainy that he doesn't indulge in much on film.

Well,guess one old adage is true;you can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time. Life would be incredibly dull otherwise(this clip is the last scene from IWTV;spoiler alert and you have been warned!):

Presidential Party Music for Super Cool Party People!

Today is a very historic moment in American history,and since plenty of folks will be taking some much needed time out to rejoice and make merry,the best thing that I could do here is supply the tunes.

Now,keep in mind that my musical taste is rather offbeat and occasionally middle of the road(I am the kind of person that they make Greatest Hits CDs for). However,there should be something here to please just about everyone and get them out on the dance floor.


First up,"Celebration" by Kool and the Gang. Pretty much a no-brainer pick,but fitting for the mood of the day. This clip is from a live performance at the House of Blues in Chicago,also very apropos:




Next on the list,Weezer's "Beverly Hills"-it may not seem very family friendly but if you listen to the lyrics,the song is all about longing for the American Dream. Plus it has a good beat and you can dance to it. If that's a good enough criteria for Dick Clark,it's good enough for me!:



For a taste of old school,here's Kim Wilde with "Kids In America." After all,young people were a major component in this election and should be honored for that,one way or another:



Also known as the Smallville theme song,check out Remy Zero's "Save Me". The band may not be together anymore,but this uplifting tune will be around for quite awhile:



"Believe it or not",the infamous theme song for The Greatest American Hero,was originally sung by Joey Scarbury but for today,the Hep Alien rendition performed on
Season Five of Gilmore Girls feels more appropriate. For one thing,it was played at an election victory party and for another,it's very rock n' roll:




Last but far from least,"You Can't Stop The Beat" from Hairspray. This whole song,in my opinion,is the unofficial theme to this whole campaign and no party would be complete without it. Happy Obama day,folks and let's all keep this positive mood in place during the hard times we'll be facing together:

The Top Ten Things I Learned from Hancock

Hancock was 2008's official Will Smith Summer Event movie,and I am glad that I waited for the DVD release to check this film out. Don't get me wrong,it was entertaining at times but not as thrilling as I hoped it would be.

Smith is John Hancock,a surly superhero who fights crime about as gracefully as a bull in a china shop and is usually drunk as a skunk when doing so. His bad attitude and path of destruction left behind his heroic efforts have the folks of L.A. more than willing to run him out of town and sue him for damages.




Hancock does have someone who believes in him,Ray Embrey(Jason Bateman),a grateful PR man who wants to repay the hard to like hero for saving his life by creating a campaign to make over Hancock's public image.

Since Hancock is a pretty lonely guy,he's willing to go along with Ray's plan. Some of Ray's ideas, such as volunteering to do jail time,seem to pay off and bring about a slew of much needed changes in both Hancock the man and Hancock the hero.




Hancock's main dilemma is that he has no memory of his past or knowledge about the source of his powers. He woke up in an emergency room of a Miami hospital eighty years ago,having miraculously recovered from a head injury and only two movie theater tickets in his pocket. Turns out that the answers he's been seeking may be more accessible than he knows and that Ray's wife Mary(Charlize Thereon)is not all that she appears to be.



It's a good premise and most of the early parts of the story play out rather well,especially with the dark humor riffs and the chemistry between Smith and Bateman. However,as the story goes on, a lot of character development moments are overridden with massive displays of f/x that don't enhance the plot or make any real sense.

Many of the revelations given are not fully explained or thought out,which makes the major climax of the film fall flat. Also,there's no truly threatening villain for Hancock to face off on. Part of the reason for that may be that in the beginning,he's his own worst enemy(which is cool)but as he starts to redeem himself,a formidable opponent would've set that arc off nicely.

Hancock is not based on a comic book or any other source material,which may account for the third and final act of the film to nose dive like it does. The movie did do decently at the box office,so I wouldn't be surprised if a sequel was in the works. If that happens,I hope the next set of screenwriters do some serious graphic novel/comic book reading to get the jist of a superhero story right this time.

To sum up,here are the top ten lessons that Hancock can teach you about superhero life:

10) Drinking and crime fighting do not mix:







9) Thursday night is alright for spaghetti madness.


8) It might be helpful for a superhero to accept some constructive criticism once in awhile from the public at large:





7) Making love to a super powered man requires more than the usual safe sex precautions.

6) Being immortal is one of those little things you really should mention on a first date.

5) If a recent acquaintance is unwilling to own up to her more than human status,you might have to throw everything but the kitchen sink at her to get a confession:






4) Super hero stories work better when you have a more thought out villain put in the mix.

3) Man can not live on Jiffy Pop alone.

2) Use of a new complimentary catchphrase should be done sparingly:






1) If a bad tempered superhero dares you to call him a rude name just one more time,don't call him on his bluff:

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County makes one small step for readers and a giant leap for all of literary kind

In Tiffany Baker's debut novel,The Little Giant of Aberdeen County,a woman starts off the story by reflecting upon a recent death and then gets things going by talking about her unusual birth.

Truly Plaice's mother was so large with child that the folks of Aberdeen back in 1953 were placing bets upon the weight of her newborn(who was presumed to be a boy)as she was in labor. Since the mother died in childbirth,with an oversized girl baby as the result,no one was willing to claim their winnings.

Truly was the complete physical opposite of her older sister,Serena Jane,a delicate blonde beauty with dreams of someday leaving small town life behind and becoming a movie star. Truly had no such illusions,as the largest person in town who was only accepted by other local outsiders like the Dyerson family who took her in after the death of her father and Marcus,the smallest boy in school who also had the biggest brains in class.




Serena Jane's beauty turned out to be what trapped her into a loveless marriage with Robert "Bob Bob" Morgan,the latest descendant of a long line of doctors in Aberdeen. One of the Morgan ancestors was Tabitha Dyerson,a reputed witch and natural healer who married the first Morgan man that came to town and reportedly had a "shadow book" of herbal remedies hidden away from the prying eyes of the menfolk.

Truly and Bob Bob had never gotten along,but when Serena Jane left her husband and eight year old son,Bobbie,to seek out a new life for herself,Truly moves into the Morgan house to help raise her nephew and has to find a way to put up with Bob Bob for the boy's and her sister's sake.




Robert Morgan is quick to adjust to this new situation,thru his regular methods of blackmail and intimidation,plus the added bonus of having exclusive access to detail Truly's medical condition for his own personal and professional motives.

Truly has always been used to going along to get along,but then she discovers a way to finally gain some power of her own,via an old Morgan family quilt that is more meaningful than anyone ever realized.

As she learns to take matters into her own hands,Truly also comes to know that in seeking the way to happiness,sometimes you must pay for it with a mixture of the bitter and the sweet sides to life.




Tiffany Baker creates a number of memorable characters in this homespun tale and she is as successful as a world class magician in making them appear to be as true to life and original beings who have ever graced the pages of any novel.

Her story takes on a strong natural flow that is difficult to pull away from,very much like a river ride that you don't want to end. This may be her first book,but with talent like this,it certainly will not be her last. It's a marvelous must-read for the new year.

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County is practically tailor made for reading groups and well worth splurging on a hardcover for. It's a beautifully written tribute to those seeking their way to inner and outer strength,with a dash of old school magic to liven things up. Perhaps,being a witchy woman has it's advantages:

Top Chef goes a little bit country,Nip/Tuck,and American Idol is back!

A very special guest judge showed up for the Quickfire this week on Top Chef;Hung,the Season 3 winner. He and Padma were standing in front of a huge covered display(similar to the one for that S3 live fish challenge),which lead the chefs to believe they were getting their own version of Hung's well known Quickfire fish fumble. What they did receive was very different indeed:






After getting over the shock of having to cook with canned foods,the chefs scrambled to put together the best fifteen minute meal. Stefan won the challenge,managing to whip up a nice soup and sandwich combo with Spam.

Why he had to open one of his cans with a huge craving knife,I don't understand(Stefan,surely they have can openers in the TC kitchen!)but he got the immunity,which irked Hoseabig time.




For the Elimination challenge,the chefs went on a field trip to Blue Hill Farm and restaurant,where all of the ingredients are literally farm fresh. A knife pull divided the chefs into teams of three to make a family style meal for the cooks and the farm folk who work there.




Team Chicken was made up of Stefan,Jamie and Carla and they turned out the best plate of the day. There was a choice of either lemon herb roasted chicken or chicken cutlets(a favorite at my house)along with a tomato and onion salad. Stefan and Jamie did clash over the menu(with Carla nervously trying to keep the peace)but things came well for them in the end.




Their only misstep was in serving a chicken ravioli soup that tasted great,but wasn't really "seasonal" as the challenge required. It was a rather hot day,so a cold soup might have been a better selection. Fortunately,the soup was tasty enough to earn all three of Team Chicken's members a win for this round.




Fabio,Jeff and Radhika were Team Pork and the saddest thing about their food was that the only good thing on the plate were the fried green tomatoes that Jeff had made.

Pretty pitiful,for a pork platter. Fabio had drowned his sausage ravioli in pesto sauce and Radhika was singled out for not contributing much to the meal,other than roasting the corn for the salad and helping out with the dessert.




Team Lamb,however,took the sacrifice here,as the duo of lamb was a dud. Hosea and Leah(who are getting very comfy cozy with each other) insisted on the elaborate meat prep and dumped the whole kit and kaboodle on Ariane,despite the fact that she has no experience in butchering lamb and told them so.

During the Judges' Table,both Leah and Hosea sort of threw Ariane under the bus(Leah more so than Hosea,who admitted to knowing plenty about lamb butchering but didn't take over that station),which stunk,in my opinion.

Ariane was not thrilled about teaming up with those two in the first place,since they tend to shut everyone else out when they're together. I understand the whole "going along to get along" deal,but she should've been more forceful about the lamb and made the more experienced person in the group do the butchering. Alas,The Princess of Protein had to pack her knives and go.

Next week,Restaurant Wars! Also,more of Hosea and Leah,in hookup mode. Wonder what Toby Young will say about that?




On Nip/Tuck,Christian and Liz did have sex,in a sympathy sleeper sort of way. I don't know what to make of this just yet.

Christian's chemo treatments have him puking on a regular basis,which has taken a toll on his looks and after a nasty rejection from Kimber(who should know better than to throw karma stones while living in a glass whorehouse)and getting ripped off by a rent-a-gal(Christian,you ought to know better than to trust Craig's List!),Liz stayed the night and seemed to like it.





Meanwhile,Sean's wheelchair faking was discovered by Julia,as she saw him toss out the creepy diaper fetish girl from his class(that chick was freaking me out). Glad to see that they didn't stretch out that bit of plot and that Christian was so kind and understanding about the whole thing.

The next new Nip/Tuck episode will be two weeks in coming(they didn't say why,guess there's some big special or movie that F/X needs the time slot for)and from the previews,it looks like Christian's sexual mojo is back on track.

Don't know how that hookup with Liz will factor into that(I hope not too badly,Liz is one of the nicer characters on this show).




Yes,folks,American Idol is officially back in business,hitting the audition trail. So far,new judge Eve Harrington is doing very well here and may become a future asset to the show in case Miss Paula decides to visit one of the hopeful contestant's grandma to try some of her "crazy pills".

There were tons of awful singers on display,with more to come. One of the best of the worst was this totally out of left field number,which was made all the more precious for being so originally weird:

NO,WE DON'T WANT A BANANA!



RANDOM NOTES:

THE OFFICE: The showdown between Dwight and Andy over Angela will happen tonight and personally,I hope neither one of them ends up with her. She's a rather mean lady when it comes to love and both of those fellas would be much better off without her:

Let's see what's heating up the Movie Trailer Park this season

Another year is upon us,and during these chilly winter months is when Hollywood decides to unleash a mixed bag of cinematic goods in theaters. With the economy as tough as it is right now,it is going to take a mighty big lure to entice folks into hitting the multiplex instead of Netflix for some movie magic.

First out of their box of tricks is Underworld:Rise of the Lycans,a prequel that explains how the original vampire/werewolf war got started to set the earlier two films in the series into motion. Twilight fans,beware;this is not a sentimental version of paranormal romance but if you're willing to sample some real red meat with your supernatural cuisine,dig in:






For more literary tastes,Inkheart will be out this week,the first book from Cornelia Funke's fantasy trilogy of a father and daughter who both share a love of reading and a magical gift for reading out loud that brings people,places and things off of the pages.

Brendan Fraser stars as the dad,and he is very familiar with the material due to having narrated the audio book editions of the series. Fraser seems to have a strong yen for action fantasy flicks and hopefully will be able to bring in folks who haven't read the books but will want to do so after seeing this movie:





You might be tempted to dismiss Confessions of a Shopaholic as a Sex and the City knockoff,but you would be severely mistaken. The film is based on the Sophie Kinsella books featuring Becky Bloomwood,a savvy shopper who is not as quick witted when it comes to managing money.

While I do wish that the film was kept British(as the books were),it does appear to have the same sense of fun and consumer redemption that the source material has. Becky Bloomwood is a bit dizty(in the old school Hollywood sense of the word)but far from being dumb:





Two modern day masters of fantasy unite to create a more challenging animated delight for kids of all ages with Coraline,adapted from the children's book by Neil Gaiman. Tim Burton(with director Henry Selick at the helm)brings his love of stop motion techniques to bring to life this tale of a girl's journey into a wonderland that is not as wonderful as it seems.

Dakota Fanning,Teri Hatcher and Jennifer Saunders are some of the celebs who voice the characters here and with any luck,this film will be enpowering to all the budding Goth girls out there:





Finally,if you're in the need for some comic relief,Fanboys just might be your golden ticket.

Kristen Bell,along with several other genre related celebs such as Carrie Fisher,Kevin Smith and William Shatner,lend a helping hand to this geek fan quest undertaken by a group of Star Wars fanatics to raid what they consider to be the holiest of holy places,Skywalker Ranch.

Sounds very silly,I know,but sometimes the silly is just like the porridge that Goldilocks chose,just right for curing those midwinter blues:



Only time and the box office will tell if any of these films will do well. For an extra bonus,here's the trailer to Miss March,which stars two of the Whitest Kids U Know,Trevor and Zach,in a wacky adventure to seek out an old girlfriend who has become the latest Playboy centerfold. Real Oscar winning material here(I kid,I kid!):

Some glitz,glam and goofs at the Golden Globes

The Golden Globes,that prelude to the Oscars and afterthought to the Emmys, did their little dance on the catwalk last night,with some surprising results.

While a good number of the usual suspects received their trophies(it's pretty much a given that any movie awards show this season will pay tribute to Heath Ledger),a few folks were shocked and awe struck such as Kate Winslet for her double wins as Best Supporting Actress for The Reader and again in the Best Actress(Drama)category for Revolutionary Road.

The best thing that can happen at any awards show is that element of the unexpected,particularly when it honors those who truly deserve it or gives a struggling to step into the spotlight performer have a moment to shine. Let's look at some of the good,bad and "Hell to the YES!" moments from this year's Globes:



GREAT WINS

I have to confess that I was a little late tuning into the show(technical difficulties on the homefront)but when I got the chance,the first thing that popped onto my TV screen was Anna Paquin,beaming as she accepted a Best Actress in the TV Drama category for True Blood. That was a promising sign of things to come.

I was also happy to see Mad Men get another win,for Best TV Drama and newcomer Sally Hawkins get her first Golden Globe for Happy-Go-Lucky,a indie Brit film about a woman making the best out of her less than charming life.



My personal pick for best acceptance speech was Mickey Rourke's,as he took the Best Actor in Drama for The Wrestler. He may be on all of the Worst Dressed lists,but it's truly refreshing to see such a down to earth,naturally offbeat guy like that take the stage and get the hard earned props that he deserves.

With the Globe win tucked under his belt,an Oscar nomination is soon to follow. I sincerely hope that he wins that one as well and gets to share a touching moment with his director,Darren Aronosky,similar to that special gesture of respect between the two of them last night:





FROM SLUMDOG TO TOP DOG

The best success story of the night belonged to Slumdog Millionaire,which won four awards for Screenplay,Score,Director(Danny Boyle)and Best Drama. This bodes well for the film come Academy Awards time.

Note to Academy voters: please keep in mind these names: Dev Patel,Freida Pinto and Anil Kapoor. They are the three main actors in this film and should be recognized as the key components to it's excellence. They deserve to be NOMINATED,people! Try not to screw this one up,okay?

OH,PLEASE! YOU KNOW THAT WAS FUNNY

Sascha Baron Cohen,aka Borat,presented the Best Comedy Film award(to Vicky Christina Barcelona,a movie I'll rant about in a moment)and made a couple of good jokes about Hollywood celebs surviving the recession. His crack about Madonna and her break-up with Guy Ritchie drew a few boos and "Oh,why did he have to go there" moans from the crowd.

Give me a break,folks. It was damn hilarious(way better than Alec Baldwin's lame remark about how he used to bring Rumer Willis,Miss Golden Globes,a juicebox)and I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that Guy Ritchie was in a bar somewhere hearing that and laughing the loudest at that bon mot. Get off your high horses once in a while,gang-you might learn something:





NOW IS THE TIME FOR A RANT

What is the deal with Vicky Christina Barcelona being up for so many noms here? Granted,I didn't see this movie but then again I have no interest in paying good money(even for a rental)for something that should rightfully be titled "Woody Allen's European Sex Fantasy."

Oh,boo hoo,poor Javier Bardem has all of these incredibly beautiful women fighting over him and to make matters worse,they're all trapped in luxurious surroundings in Spain,no less! The horror,the horror!



And,I have to say that Wall-E is starting to turn me off,big time. Another movie that I haven't seen and have no doubt that Pixar did a great visual job with,but I am getting sick of movies that feel the need to lecture me about environmental issues. Nothing wrong with a movie slipping in some social commentary to enrich the subtext but when it appears to be doing so with a sledge hammer approach, it's time to click on something else.



Well,congrats to all of the winners and good luck to those hoping to follow up your victories with some Oscar gold. Hopefully,that awards ceremony will have some of the fun and the funny that the Globes had the other night. Then again,it is the Academy Awards we're talking about here.

One last note: while I do agree that most of the hype about 30 Rock is seriously overdone,with that show getting so much media love that it seems to suck it all away from other programs that do deserve(such as The Middleman),you gotta tip your hat to Tina Fey for calling out the internet folks who having been trash talking her for a while.

Be careful with the bold,Tina-there's an old saying online that goes "Don't feed the troll". It's there for a reason:

Will Mickey Rourke be able to pin an Oscar down?

The Oscar race this year looks to be quite a dogfight in several categories,the fiercest one to be Best Actor. While Sean Penn's performance in Milk makes him the odds on favorite,the work that Mickey Rourke does as the lead in The Wrestler gives him a real shot at the gold. In other words,he's a true contender.

Having seen both movies,I can honestly say that it's a bit of a tough call but the scales do tip over more towards Rourke for the win. That slight edge has nothing to do with Hollywood politics or flavor of the month status;it's that raw authentic nerve of the character that Rourke brings his full life experience to. That ability to really be able to slip into another's skin and show just how real he is,is a rare gift given to any performer.



Rourke plays a former wrestling superstar from the glory days of the 1980s,Randy"the Ram" Johnson. Randy(whose real name is Robin,which he hates)is still on the circuit,only these days,he's on the lowest rungs of the ladder.



In between wrestling bouts and part time jobs where he gets little respect,Randy is also hooked on a number of pills and steroid solutions that he occasionally deals to offset some of his bills. That extra bit of cash doesn't prevent him from being locked out of his trailer for non payment of rent or to afford to pay for a hospital stay after collapsing from a physically brutal match-up.



His health problems and a chance to make a comeback via a 20th anniversary rematch bout puts Randy in a somewhat more reflective mode,urging him to not only pursue a real relationship with his favorite lap dancer(Marisa Tomei,who should be given a nomination herself)but to try and make a connection with his estranged daughter,Stephanie(Evan Rachel Wood).

Stephanie has been emotionally burned so many times in the past by her father that she is vehemently opposed to giving him even the smallest way in. However,Randy does manage to tell her how he feels and to acknowledge his failings and his love for her:





The true beauty of this film,and Rourke's performance,is the realistic tone that is taken with such tried and true material. We've seen this type of story before,the broken down athlete striving for redemption who stumbles and falls on his way to recapturing his glory.

However,the presentation of the plot and characters is not done in either a Hollywood or a Indie movie fashion;you get more of the feeling of a documentary or a hidden camera show,where the warts and all vision of the world is showcased,not as a visual stunt but rather to give the characters' dilemmas the respect they deserve.

Director Darren Aronosky puts the films thru it's paces and while he does have some nice stylish shots,it's to benefit the story not distract from it. Mickey Rourke seems to to effortlessly give Randy such a strong stamp of hard earned reality that some might be tempted to call his work here typecasting. They would be very wrong to do so,indeed. If Rourke does get the nomination and wins the Oscar for Best Actor this time around, it will be a victory that was honestly paid for in blood,sweat and tears:

Top Chef takes on Toby Young,Nip/Tuck returns and American Idol is on the way!

Top Chef started off the new year with a rather challenging Quickfire,as Padma and guest judge Jean-Christophe Novelli personally took charge of removing a certain sweet temptation from the TC kitchens. That way,the chefs had no choice but to find alternate ways to make a dessert style snack taste as good as it should the natural way.




Radhika won the Quickfire for her bread pudding with yogurt and fruit,the second time she's done that so far. After giving her immunity,Padma informed everyone that there would be a replacement judge for Gail for the rest of their "time in New York"(a tad vague there,in my opinion)who would be Toby Young,best known for his super snarky memoir,"How To Lose Friends and Alienate People."(a great read,btw,I highly recommend it)



That made the Elimination Challenge a "getting to know you" dinner for the judges and a group of "foodies/critics",with the food to be made in family style portions and free reign given to the chefs to make whatever they wanted(about time!). The catch was this would a double Elim,since nobody went home for Christmas.

That was the first catch,anyway-as it always is with Top Chef,more was yet to come. The chefs were divided into two groups,the idea being that this would be a "blind tasting"(the dinner guests would not be told who cooked what before eating),so Group A was sent out earlier than Group B,to shop and then cook. When Group B arrived at the location,they found out that they were the extra tasters at the meal. To put the cherry on top of the surprise sundae,the first batch of chefs got to watch their fellow competitors on a hidden camera/TV in the kitchen,giving their firsthand impressions of the meal.



Lucky for Radhika that she had immunity for this round,since Toby started off his snarkfest by comparing her crab bisque with salad to "weapons of mass destruction."

That was only the beginning,folks. Things got even dicer when it was Group B's turn to showcase their food,with the earlier set of chefs ready and willing to voice their on the spot opinions.



Some food did pass muster;Judge Tom raved about Stefan's duck with dumplings and cabbage(I think he wanted to marry it at one point). Toby liked it as well,admiring how authentically German it tasted.


Ariane was in the Top Three yet again,for her skate plate. I swear,every time she gets a chance to cook meat,this woman has the magic touch. Therefore,I hearby dub Ariane the Princess of Protein!



The big winner(at last)was Jamie,who redeemed her scallop sins by serving them up seared with fennel. Nice going,Jamie,but you do have to be careful and not become Repeat-O Girl with this particular piece of fish. Fabio had a point when he commented off camera about her constant use of scallops.



Carla barely squeaked by in the Bottom Three,as her scallop with mint risotto had too much raw garlic in it. She was aware of how her dish had failed and owned up to her errors but Toby had a point(during the deliberations)when he said that her food showed a lack of confidence that he wasn't sure she would be able to get over.

Carla had said that she wanted to make a vegetarian dish but was afraid that the judges would think she didn't know how to make a protein,so the scallop was a compromise ingredient. If the challenge had required her to use a protein,that would be understandable but in this case,everyone was told they could make anything they wanted. She does seem like a nice person,so maybe this second chance will boost her boldness for the future.



Toby did want to give Eugene another shot,even tho his deep fried red snapper was overcooked and the daikon fettucini was an odd choice.

I've never tasted daikon but from what I gathered on the show,it's a type of radish,a veggie that doesn't lend itself to being served hot. Toby thought he showed promise but Tom was offended by the waste of a whole fish(Bourdain would've agreed with him),so Gene had to pack his knives and go.



Melissa joined him and her ahi tuna tacos really took a beating here. During the meal,Toby said that her dish "tasted like cat food" and during the Judges' table,he also commented upon the smell,"that it was not pleasant." Guest judge Novelli didn't like it either and during the deliberation,Tom tried to stick up for her,saying that this dish showed "who she was." "Isn't that why she should leave?" Toby asked. I love this guy.

Next week should be interesting,with barnyard animals and a fight between Stefan and Jamie. Sounds like shenanigans to me!



Nip/Tuck picked up where the first half of Season five left off(due to the Writer's strike)with Sean managing to survive Colleen's frenzied knife attack and becoming wheelchair bound. He's refusing to take up surgery again,insisting that his hands are not yet steady,and taking on a teaching role instead.

Christian,meanwhile,is having a medical crisis of his own,as a mammography for Liz leads him to get one himself and be diagnosed with breast cancer. For a while,it looks as if our boys are going to have to give each some major league comfort(part of which comes from picking up hot girls)but things are not always what they seem.

I do think this new season has gotten off to a good start and I'm looking forward to what is yet to come:

SEE THE STARS



EMBRACE THE LOVE,OR THE LUST,IF YOU PREFER





Yes,folks,American Idol will soon be upon us,bringing a brand new judge into the mix. Her name is Kara DioGuardi and according to the EW article I read,she and Paula are big time buddies,with no possibility of Kara being groomed as a replacement for Paula(we shall see,Eve Harrrington!).

The important thing is that we get the good,the bad and the overdramatic that makes this show the ultimate in Guilty Pleasures(especially the bad):



RANDOM NOTES:



LEGEND OF THE SEEKER: New episodes begin this weekend and the latest one looks like a real doozy. Richard is captured by a magic manipulator named Denna,who plays some very twisted mind games with him indeed: