Fans of “Saved By the Bell” will dig this clip from “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”…
Category: External TV (Page 160 of 419)
Last night was the premiere episode of “Top Chef Masters” on Bravo, a spinoff of the extremely popular “Top Chef” show that recently completed its fifth season. As we reported on Monday, this show pits four established, top-notch chefs against one another six weeks, and then the six winners compete against one another for a few more weeks, with one elimination taking place each week until the master is crowned.
The first episode featured Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys in San Francisco; Michael Schlow of Radius Restaurant in Boston; Tim Love of the Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in Fort Worth; and Christopher Lee of Aureole in New York City. Kelly Choi was the host and her first assignment for the chefs was to create a dessert dish for the distinguished palates of four girl scouts. They mostly cringed, with Schlow in particular admitting he had no formal training as a baker.
But they forged ahead. Schlow’s cakes literally flopped but he managed to put something on the plate. Love made a favorite of his daughters — strawberries three ways, including a “chicken fried” strawberry. Lee went with French toast cubes, and Keller won with his play on chocolate mousse and meringues — which he shaped into little animals. So he had a jump start in points with 5. Love and Lee had 3.5 each and Schlow started with 2.5. Those points would go toward their final score after the main challenge.
There are hundreds of genuinely funny people that positively suck at stand-up comedy, which is why the DVD for “Russell Brand Live in New York” sat unopened on this writer’s desk for a couple weeks. Mind you, I found Brand quite funny in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” and he pretty much stole “Bedtime Stories” from Adam Sandler. But is he stand-up funny? As it turns out, yes, he is. His approach is extremely British, in both language and timing, but his routine, which originally aired on Comedy Central in March, is wisely focused on all things America, beginning with his disastrous stint as the host of the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards (the opening monologue from the VMAs is included in the bonus features). He even shares the death threats he received afterwards, one of which declares that his monologue proves that he’s a Muslim-loving terrorist (“Bit of a leap,” Brand replies). One of the funniest bits in his routine is relegated to the bonus features, where he has some fun with an overly excited admirer, but soon loses his patience when she won’t keep her mouth shut. A genuinely amusing routine overall, but a quick note to Comedy Central: lose the grainy hand-held camera shots. They’re annoying.
Getting to the TV portion of “The Next Food Network Star” from among thousands of contestants is no easy feat. To get there, though, and then be eliminated after the first episode has to be a tough pill to swallow. Jen Isham was eliminated this past Sunday, and we had the chance to chat with Jen about that early elimination and her plans post-show:
Premium Hollywood: Did you feel like you were not given a fair shot with such an abrupt elimination?
Jen Isham: Some one had to go home the first episode. I think there was lot of me the selection committee did not get to see, as well as the viewers – but they had to make a choice. I respect them all; they obviously are pretty successful in what they do. BUT I still think it shouldn’t have been me! 🙂
PH: Was it your idea to make the green beans?
JI: You know the whole menu planning went fast. Veggie was the only thing really left when I had the chance to speak. I did choose to make green beans; they are my favorite veggie. I liked them as did my team.
PH: What are your plans now?
JI: I have been working on my website, my cookbook/guide for the modern gal, and posting on my blog. www.jenisham.blogspot.com
PH: Who do you think will win Season 5 now that you have been eliminated?
JI: It’s a tough call. All of the contestants are so different and talented. I prefer to laugh and be entertained watching a cooking show, so my vote is for Michael!
I just mowed through the seven-hour HBO mini-series, “Generation Kill,” like nobody’s business.
It’s based on Evan Wright’s book of the same name. At the time, Wright was a Rolling Stone writer that was embedded with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion‎ of the United States Marine Corps during the first days of the invasion of Iraq. The teleplay was written by “The Wire” creator David Simon, so it’s no surprise that it has the same gritty feel and sense of humor of that series.
The story revolves around the Hummer in which Wright rode, which often was the point vehicle as the battalion moved deeper into Iraq, but the miniseries branches out at times to follow the events of other parts of the battalion. It relies heavily on the dynamic between Sgt. Brad “Iceman” Colbert and Cpl. Josh Ray Person. The former plays the straight man to the non-stop shtick running from Person’s mouth. This humor balances out the nail-biting intensity of the group’s military missions.
Politically speaking, the miniseries doesn’t get on a soapbox, but it dives into both the positives and negatives that resulted from the invasion. There’s an overwhelming sense of naivety amongst the officers and soldiers about just what kind of a clusterf*ck they were getting themselves into. Once Saddam’s army fell, they thought their mission was over, but little did they know that they were just getting started.
“Generation Kill” is not for the faint of heart, but I’d highly recommend it for anyone who enjoyed “Band of Brothers.” It’s available on DVD now.
For a much more in-depth review, check out Jason Zingale’s take on Bullz-Eye.com.
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