bitchyasiangirl

Hooray hooray hooray!

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:14:00 +0000

Honestly, I've been too busy with travel, other blogs, and life in general to keep up with this blog for some time now. My tolerance for reality tv has also hit an all-time low. It makes me sad to realize that my original project has sort of turned into the red-headed stepchild. I'm going to try harder to keep up, but I won't lie, posts here will probably become even more sporadic.

I'm also starting to feel like it's a bit dumb to even post about Top Chef or Project Runway when there are a billion other bloggers writing about them and they probably don't wait 4 days to post either. Whatevs, I'm guessing most of them don't have hyperactive 2-year-olds driving them crazy night and day either. So I'll just say, hooray for Rick Bayless for winning Top Chef Masters (had to root for the hometown guy), hooray for the return of regular Top Chef (T can now resume his crush on Padma) and super hooray for the return of Project Runway!

And then, just because this sketch came up in conversation recently, here's a funny.

Disgusted

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:04:00 +0000

I've never made any bones about being a reality-tv whore, but even I have reached the point of total disgust, particularly with VH1. I mean, Daisy of Love...ok, we knew it was coming - Daisy is like the walking, talking cartoon caricature embodiment of every guy's adolescent wet-dream. But I watched the first episode and realized I simply couldn't stomach this round, particularly if I was going to have to tolerate her "singing." I have to mention though, I did catch T watching an episode yesterday and without her makeup? Yeesh, not pretty. Or rather, even more ghoulish than with the clown-whore makeup.

After 2 rounds each of Flavor of Love, I Love New York, and Rock of Love (I couldn't make it through the third outings), I'm just done with the celebrity+freak Bachelor format. Which is why I was all the more disgusted last night when I happened to stumble across the "preview" commercial for their new show featuring that iditotic gold-digging camera-whore, Megan, from Rock of Love 2. They actually built gold-digging into the premise by enlisting supposed millionaires as the contestants vying for her "love." And by "love," I actually mean the occasional lay and faked orgasm in exchange for some sort of shiny bauble because I'm fairly certain that she has a cash register in her chest where her heart should be.

I really wonder where they found millionaires who are so hard up they can't get gold-digging whores on their own? If I could actually bring myself to watch the show, it would only be with the secret hope that there would a crazy twist, in which after choosing her millionaire mate and professing her "love," it would be revealed that the guys were all hobos & bums rounded up from the local trainyard.

In other shows that I will never ever watch, I've pretty much taken a pass on all the other garbage that's on VH1 these days: Charm School, The T.O. Show, New York does a snuff film, whatever. I'm over it. I also really wish I'd never even seen the commercials for Fox's latest entry in reality dating freakshows, More to Love. I suppose it's a step up from The Littlest Groom. But blech, I can't even comment beyond that.

I don't normally read or comment on tabloid gossip and such, but since I'm already on a reality show rant, I have to say that it's been hard to avoid the whole Jon & Kate Plus 8 furor. I have to say, the whole thing makes me so sad. I used to really love that show with all the cute hapa kids. And even though they seemed to have their flaws as a couple, you used to get the sense that Jon & Kate did really love each other. But now...egad, what a train wreck, and not the good kind either.

Obviously those poor kids are going to suffer the most (especially the older girls), but I'm actually starting to feel pretty sorry for Kate. I don't care what kind of over-controlling shrew she was, it's a pretty douchebag move for Jon to be out gallavanting around with a series of 20-something girls just a few weeks after filing for divorce. I mean, have a little bit of respect for the mother of your children, man! Or if nothing else, think about how this is going to look to your kids, who get to see your asshole face on E! and Extra and hear about how you're smoking cigs on a yacht with Christian Audigier. Asshole. If this guy seriously ends up with his own reality show like I've been hearing, I'm going to have to firebomb the station that airs that garbage.

On the flip side, I have to confess my new guilty pleasure is Miami Social on Bravo. Yes, I know the people on it are all pathetically self-absorbed and obsessed with being hot and in (despite the fact that, let's face it, they're all kinda old to be considered either), but I can't help myself. It's the train wreck factor, but without any of the pretense of a contest or being "housewives" or whatever. My favorite has to be Michael, who seems so so lacking in self-awareness that it'd be sad if it weren't so funny. His whole "feud" with Ariel could not smack more of jealousy and sexual tension. I especially love how he thinks he so fabulous when he really looks just like every other short, balding gay guy I've ever met.

Three-fer

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:14:00 +0000

Last night marked the real return of So You Think You Can Dance! Hooray! But then the stupid local news decided that the weather was newsworthy enough to preempt the first hour of the show. Boooo! I managed to catch most of the second half live, but then I had to dig around a bit today to find last night's episode online, so forgive the delay.

Anyways, it was your pretty standard first show with the top 20. Most of the dances were good, but not great, and the judges were pretty positive across the board (although they were pretty hard on Tony and Paris, neither of whom I thought deserved to make it to the top 20 anyways, so meh). I almost think it's like even though they clearly have their favorites, they don't want to tip the scales too much...yet. I sometimes wonder if Mary Murphy sits up at night and comes up with new and annoying ways to come up with "fake-out" praise. Like, "hmmm, how can I pretend to hate something and then turn around and reveal that I totally love it?" Ugh. And I also cannot STAND Adam Shankman. Besides the fact that he's a smarmy little sycophant, the amount of self-promotion he does for projects that he maybe shouldn't be so proud of...it's just disgusting.

And while I'm at it, can I also bitch a little bit about how disappointed I am that they seem to have watered down the genres so much the last couple seasons? I really like Tabitha and Napoleon, but most of what they choreograph really just does not scream "hip-hop" to me, especially that lite-rock shit. And even the ballroom/latin stuff has so many silly storylines and so much mugging that it's often unrecognizable. One of the things I always loved in the first few seasons was that they held people to these strict standards of fox trot, cha-cha, etc.

Anyways. Tony & Paris got sent home. Whatevs. I was certain from the start that Tony wouldn't make it past the first episode. And Paris always rubbed me the wrong way. Something about the beauty queen thing, I guess. I think so far, I'm rooting for Asuka, Jason and of course, Phillip.

Part 2 - Top Chef Masters! I've been crazy excited about this ever since I started seeing commercials a couple months ago. I absolutely LOVE the idea of getting top notch chefs in a competition together, although I'm a little bummed that it's more of a bracket-style setup rather than 20 crazy egos in one room. Last night's episode did not dissapoint, although I think it was almost a given that Hubert Keller would win. He was so clearly head and shoulders above the other guys.

I should also mention that I've looked at the bio page for the contestants on Bravo's website and it's a pretty interesting mix of people. There are a bunch of chefs who are pretty famous and/or have been guest judges on TC in the past, and then there are a bunch who seem a little bit like filler. I have to wonder how they cast the show and how they determined who was going to compete against whom in the first round. I mean, was there ever a chance we would have seen Keller, Bayless, and Dufresne on the same show? I doubt it. I also think it's interesting how there's a certain amount of cannibalization between Top Chef and Iron Chef America. It make sense from a certain standpoint since there are only so many top quality chefs who are also camera-ready. I wonder how execs at Bravo & Food Network feel about it though.

I'm impressed that they managed to get Gael Greene as a judge, although I'm not particularly a fan of the other two guys. The Saveur editor has a nice pedigree on paper, but on screen he's just annoying. And the other guy seems to want to be the next Toby, but isn't quite there either.

I do miss Tom Collichio though and I'm hoping he makes an appearance at some point. And the jury is still out on Kelly Choi. She's definitely more animated than Padma, who always seems like she's on a nice mellow Valium trip, but she occasionally makes this weird face that sorta bugs me - almost like she's smelled something foul. And couldn't they find someone who's NOT a stick-thin formal model?! I know, nitpicking. But I'm definitely looking forward to next week's episode, with Wylie Dufresne. Should be interesting.

Last, but not least, to complete this reality TV 3-fer, we have The Fashion Show. Yes, I'm still watching this train wreck. Like I've said before, it's all I've got until Project Runway comes back in August. I will say though, they do a great job with their challenges. I think they've all been very interesting and well, challenging, but without going into crazytown, like with the PR where they had to make clothes out of garbage.

In any case, I was sad that Angel got the boot tonight. She was one of the few people I actually sorta liked on the show, even though her clothes were kind of a disaster. But everyone else on that show is just such a catty, egotistical bitch that it's almost unbearable. I used to sort of like Reco, but his ego is way way out of control. As is Daniela's, who I despise with the burning fire of a thousand suns. There's something about know-it-all 23-year-olds that just totally chaps my ass.

I'm also beyond annoyed that Johnny is still there since not only is he phoning it in (and doing it poorly), but his whole "I can't sew" deal is getting way way WAY old. I was happy that Merlin won tonight though. He seemed like he was losing a little bit of his strut (as evidenced by the lack of jaunty hats of late) and I think it was a good confidence boost. I'm sure it'll totally go to his head and be totally annoying next week.

Oh and one last gripe: can I just say how freaking FURIOUS I was last week when everyone was bitching and moaning over having to work with "real" women? It's shit like that that makes me want to burn down department stores and join a nudist colony so I can hang out with old fat hippies. Ok, just had to get that out of my system.

Conan's back!

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:47:00 +0000

I was very excited to watch Conan's new show for the first time last night. I think overall, he did great. Loved the opening segment with him running across the country! The Universal Studios tour bit was also pretty funny, but I'm biased because I've always loved it when Conan has done stuff like that. I also enjoyed his little tribute to his 1992 Taurus, which also happened to feature my college roommate, Kate Lee (she's the girl with the hose)!

He did seem a little jittery during the monologue, but I suppose most people would be. I was also happy to see Andy back, but a little disappointed that he was exiled to a little podium off of the main stage for the entire show. Will Ferrell was entertaining as always and I thought Pearl Jam was kinda just meh.

For those that missed it, here's the opening:

And I really wanted to post the bit with my friend, Kate, but unfortunately it's not up on Hulu (yet). I'll get it up when I can find it.

One week till Conesy

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:41:00 +0000

I'm really really REALLY hoping that Conan stays true to his old wacky form when the new Tonight Show starts next week. But regardless, I'm happy that Andy will be back.

It ain't PR...

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Thu, 14 May 2009 05:46:00 +0000

Yes, this is a week late. I'm sure there have been a thousand other blog posts about it already, but I couldn't help but weigh in with my quick 2 cents on Bravo's blatant Project Runway knock-off, The Fashion Show. For those that have been living under a rock, after the obligatory litigation and settlement, Project Runway has flown the coop for Lifetime and the last season (filmed last winter) won't be airing until late summer. Booo....hisss...

In it's place, Bravo has come up with The Fashion Show, which pits 15 designers against one another for a cash prize, furnished as usual by one of their generous and shamelessly plugged sponsors.

So after one episode, the good: I love Isaac Mizrahi, always have. I think he's an excellent choice for host/judge. I also like the format, which involves a "quickfire" type challenge, as well as a live fashion show filled with industry types.

The meh: I'm not really sure who these "industry types" they have in the audience are. I'm guessing that people who have the time and inclination to participate in a show every week are going to be of dubious quality.

The bad: Kelly Rowland as co-host. I'm not really buying it. I don't care how many shows she's been front-row for, she just doesn't strike me as a fashion icon. I'm already wondering who they'll replace her with next season.

The ugly: No Tim Gunn. Yes, I know that's sorta obvious, but Tim Gunn as the mentor figure really has made the difference for Project Runway and without someone to play a similar role, I think TFS is going to struggle to provide valuable input for the contestants.

Of course, there is the requisite crazy cast of characters, and the clear winner of wackiest contestant goes to Merlin. Even his name is nutsoid. I mean, just look at him! And, as T pointed out while we watched, he takes jaunty hats to a whole new level. I think I'm going to start keeping a hat count. I think this first episode featured at LEAST 4 different hats, if not more.

So is it as good as Project Runway? Of course not. There's very little that is. But will I watch it and make do until the new season starts? Well what else is there to do?

Random vid

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:39:00 +0000

I love this movie. If I even think about it, this song usually stays stuck in my head for weeks.

I miss Conesy

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:57:00 +0000

Just for giggles, I decided to try to watch Jimmy Fallon last night. I've never been a huge fan of his (he's always been a little bit too smug with his own cuteness), but I figured, what the heck, why not? I made it through the opening monologue, and a couple bits, but fell asleep before the first guest, Robert DeNiro.

Here's a review from Yahoo that I think sums it up pretty nicely. I'm really hoping he finds his stride fast because as a night owl, I'm really going to miss having Conan around. Yeah yeah, he's still going to be on, but I'm just not sure it'll be the same.

Oh, I will say, I think it's pretty sweet and badass that Fallon got the Roots as his houseband. Although I have to wonder what the heck they're getting out of it?

As if to drive the point home though, Conan did this little bit for the opening of Jimmy's show. I like the crack about crappy guests. Hee.

Didn't quite see that one coming

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:29:00 +0000

If anyone had told me at any point during this season that Hosea would win, I never would have believed it. But to his credit, he pulled it off when it mattered most, helped along a bit by the catastrophic collapse of Carla's judgment, and Stefan's ridiculous over-confidence.

Like with Richard last season, I honestly thought that the title was Stefan's to lose. And while I've previously found his attitude to be entertaining, in this case it was just off-putting. I was especially annoyed when, towards the end or the episode, he made some comment to the effect of how he deserved it because he's been on top so many times. Um, haven't they constantly hammered it home how it's NOT a cumulative contest, and you're only supposed to be judged on that week's competition? Not that the judges actually stick strictly to that rule themselves (um, Fabio's elimination anyone?) but still, whatever, dude.

I was much more disappointed in how Carla just seemed to let Casey take over her menu. It just seemed like a shocking lapse in judgment to decide to use a cooking technique that you have NEVER used before! Hello?! It's the finale! I mean, haven't you had 2 months to really think through what your menu is going to be? I was really rooting for Carla too and sad not just that she didn't win, but also to see her so disappointed in herself at Judge's Table.

As a sidenote, I'm also glad to see that Rocco managed to worm his way into the finale. Bleh. Was that really the best they could do? Especially after having Lidia Bastianich and Jacques Pepin just two episodes before?! I'm sorry, but Rocco sucks. And he has SO definitely had plastic surgery of some sort. Stop denying it man.

Anyways, I guess congratulations are due to Hosea. Good job flying low on the radar, firmly in the middle of the pack, and then staying steady while the other finalists collapsed. Lamest. Win. Ever.

Top Chef, the Oscars and Good-bye Conesy

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 06:26:00 +0000

I haven't written anything about this season of Top Chef, but I thought I'd just weigh in with a few thoughts on that and other happenings this last week in TV.

I have to say, this season of TC has been pretty awesome. The number of really top-notch, world-class chefs that they've had as guest judges....it's unbelievable. I was initially irked by the fact that they started with 157 freaking chef-testants, but once they narrowed it down to 8 or so, it started to be more manageable. T and I have been loving Fabio. We think he clearly deserves his own show. So that being said, we were both more than a little crushed when he got eliminated. I really thought that Stefan deserved to go, but I suspect that they wanted to maintain the "asshole" factor for the finale (see: Lisa).

I also think that despite what they keep saying about it not being a cumulative competition, that's really impossible for them to maintain. Stefan has been crushing almost the whole season, and I've been saying for weeks now that it's pretty much his prize to lose. However, that being said, I think that Carla is definitely a dark horse. T said numerous times during the course of the last episode that if you'd told him 2 months ago that Big Bird (that's what he calls her) would be in the finale, he would've fallen down laughing. Who knew she would come on so strong at the end?

I also felt a little bad for Richard, who was kind of up against impossible odds to make it to the finale. But hopefully this comeback will shave some time off of the 10 years that he said it'll take him to get over being booted. Man, talk about taking it hard....

I'm annoyed that Hosea has made it this far. He's come across as mediocre through most of the show, and the whole "romance" with Leah...bleh. I'm rooting for Carla, but I think Stefan will win.

Briefly, about the Oscars:
I watched most of it on delay on my DVR and let me just say, that was definitely the way to go! I skipped most of the boring speeches (sorry, costume design and documentary short award winners) and got through the show quickly enough that I barely noticed that it went 30 minutes late. Although, even with the ability to skip most of the commercials, I still couldn't help but notice the 8,342 ads for JC Penney! What was up with that? And what happened to the ads overall? Didn't the Oscars used to have good ads? Didn't it used to be considered the "Superbowl for women?" The few commercials I did watch were all old, or just plain garbage.

I thought Hugh Jackman did a respectable job, even if some of the song-and-dance numbers were on the cheesy side, and I also thought the set design and production quality overall was quite lovely. I kinda dug the whole retro-glamour thing. I was excited that Kate Winslet finally got the win, even though I haven't seen The Reader. I've just always loved her though. And I was also very happy that Slumdog Millionaire ruled the evening. Even though I didn't see all the nominees for Best Picture, I did see that one, and it's an amazing film.

Last, but not least, I wanted to comment on Conan O'Brien's last week on Late Night. I've long been a big fan of Conan, and he really did not disappoint last week. He showed many, if not all, of my favorite bits (many of my friends and I still quote lines from the olde-timey baseball bit), and the chopping up of his set was priceless.

T and I have wondered more than once how watered down Conan's going to be when he goes to the Tonight Show, and I have to say, the speech he gave at the very end of his show last Friday night was a nice reassurance that he plans on staying exactly the same (here's a link to watch the last show). I really really hope that's true, since I particularly love his brand of zany nonsense. Oh, and that being said, I was surprised and delighted to see this story today. I was happy to see Andy on the last show, and I'm very curious to see how it'll be to have him back.

Now if only they would take that hack, Leno, off the air for good...

The opposite of a rant

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 07:24:00 +0000

I know, I haven't posted anything on this blog for months and months. And the other one's been fairly neglected too. This whole taking care of a kid business interferes with blogging. And then there's my recently acquired Facebook addiction...but that's another post. In any case, I thought I'd post the rare positive rave, instead of rant.

T & I were in Chicago this past week (he was there for work, E & I tagged along to hang with my mom and visit friends). Our trip conveniently coincided with both Valentine's Day and our anniversary, so we decided to celebrate by going to a fancy schmancy dinner at a relatively new restaurant called L2O. Yes, I'm secretly a wannabe food critic, although probably lacking in proper credentials.

Anyways, here's the wrap-up. I meant to take pictures, but I got a little intimidated. Or, to be more accurate, I didn't want to make an ass of myself and seem like a total tourist. But I found a Flickr pool of pictures, as well as a wealth of info on the L2O blog, and I've included links where applicable. I'll probably insert more actual pictures when I'm feeling less lazy, but for now, you'll have to click. Sorry.

I'll confess, we picked this place after seeing it on TV. But I figure that Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert probably know what they're talking about, so after seeing them rave on "No Reservations," I made one. The restaurant was located inside the Belden-Stratford building, a luxury hotel/apartment building in Lincoln Park. The space actually used to be another restaurant (Ambria) and there's another restaurant across the hall (Mon Ami Gabi). Interestingly, these are/were all Lettuce Entertain You restaurants.

When we pulled up to the valet parking, they actually already had our name down on the reservation list, so no ticket was needed. Same for the coat check. Nice touch. When we went into the restaurant itself, the entrance area was a bit dark, with dark wood columns, leading to a brightly lit tree-like decoration in glass, similar to but not exactly like these: http://www.flickr.com/photos/18805923@N00/2497682336/in/pool-759455@N23

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lesleyk/2588613935/in/pool-759455@N23
I read somewhere that the glass case decoration changes weekly, but I'm not sure if that's true or not.

The decor was overall very modern. There was no formal hostess stand, but someone greeted us and showed us to the lounge to wait for our table (we were a bit early for our reservation).

The server for the lounge poured us some water (from their own custom logo'd bottles, of course) into pretty blue stemless Reidel glasses and gave us the cocktail menu. T and I choked a bit on the idea of ordering an $20 cocktail, but I guess it wasn't that outrageous given the setting. We did skip the caviar service though. Heh. I finally settled on a glass of Riesling and T went with a Hefeweizen beer. Both were very good and I think we could have both swapped drinks and been happy, which is odd to say since I'm not a beer-drinker, and he's not a wine-drinker.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/18805923@N00/2496918631/in/pool-759455@N23

Again, the setting was very ultra-modern. White leather furniture, white lucite table, frosted glass divider separating the dining room, very cool. When they showed us to our table, they had us leave all our drinks and brought them over for us after we were seated, which I always love. The dining room was not very big and mostly divided by these big 'screens' of thick wire that you could still see though. There were also private rooms which we saw later during a tour.

Before our menus came, we had two Amuse Bouche:

The first was a small piece of smoked salmon, covered with a salmon foam and served with a clear disc of salmon gelee placed at 12 o'clock on the rim of the plate. Everything was clear or white except for the fish itself, but it all still had very strong salmon flavors. Very savory.

The second was a mussel encased in a coconut curry gelee with green apple essence and tiny discs of cucumber & jalapeno. That one was fantastic. I especially liked how you could actually taste the jalapeno, but not the heat. I loved the little dish it came in too.

When we got our menus, we were told that there are a few options for dining. There was a four-course prix fixe menu, where you got to select from a number of options for each course (Raw, Warm, Main and Dessert). Then there was a six-course "tete-a-tete" menu where each course focused on just two ingredients with very simple preparations. Then there was the twelve-course tasting menu that just listed the main ingredient for each course, but you could see some of the descriptions since some appeared in the prix-fixe option as well. After a short discussion, T and I decided we didn't want to mess with choosing and worry that we'd picked the wrong things, so we went for the tasting menu. Hey, you only live once, right?

Raw

1st course: Shimaaji (mackerel), served with baby radishes & thinly sliced daikon(I think?), red miso and soy salt, dehydrated from their own homemade soy sauce

http://www.flickr.com/photos/apocope/3064111590/in/pool-759455@N23

Very light and clean-tasting. The shimaaji was white-fleshed and tasted nothing like the mackerel you normally get at sushi restaurants.

2nd course: Tuna Tartare, served as a grid of cubes with various sauces in gelee form and lightly drizzled with olive oil. Similar, but not exact pic:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lesleyk/2589457822/in/pool-759455@N23

I can't remember what was in all of the sauces except that one was black squid ink, which was suprisingly tasty. This was one of my least favorite dishes though. I thought the tuna on it's own was bland and the olive oil was overwhelming. After eating this, I felt like my mouth was coated in oil and had a hard time getting the taste out.

3rd (I think - may have been the 4th): Homemade tofu, in a white ginger-miso sauce, topped with thinly sliced scallions and flakes of something akin to bonito (can't remember what it was called).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lstolpman/3243899109/in/pool-759455@N23

The texture of the tofu was outstanding - so silky it was like pudding, and the sauce was also very very tasty. But I thought the scallion was just a bit overpowering and the fish flakes didn't taste like anything to me, but they did add nice texture.

Oh, at this point, I should also mention the bread. They had the most wonderful selection of in-house baked breads, all miniature, and all absolutely amazing. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few, but there was a mini-baguette, a crusty wheat roll, mini rosemary croissant (my fave), a square milk bread whose name I can't remember (but it was T's fave), a kalamata olive roll, a caramelized onion roll, and then slices of some other bread (rye, maybe?) I didn't try. These were served with a small dome of homemade, lightly-salted butter, also to-die for. I told T at one point that I could have spent the whole evening eating croissants and butter and been pretty happy. They came around and refilled as we pleased and we probably got a little piggy with bread, but it was SO good.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lstolpman/3244686370/in/pool-759455@N23

4th - I'm not sure if this still falls under raw or was a transition to the "Warm" menu: Cold-smoked Escolar (I think, can't quite remember the name of the fish and I'm sort of relying on Flickr descriptions), served with thinly sliced hearts of palm and crystal ice lettuce. Our server recommended that we roll it up and eat everything together.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/apocope/3064111590/in/pool-759455@N23

This dish was also excellent. The fish was very tender and you could definitely taste the smoke. I thought the texture was almost akin to lobster. Although I didn't like having to use my hands to tear up the lettuce and roll the fish up. I preferred to just pick the whole thing up with chopsticks and shove it into my mouth. I know, I'm a class act.

Warm

5th course: Kampachi with served over tapioca pearls and and drizzled tableside with an yuzu sauce.

This dish was more than just warm, it was hot (as was the plate it was served on, which I love), and it was probably my favorite dish of the night. I wanted very badly to lick the sauce off the plate, but I had to settle for using my spoon to scoop up as much as possible. The fish was cooked absolutely perfectly.

6th (I think): Arctic Char poached in a champagne butter sauce, accompanied by a square of zucchini emulsion, topped with a thin sheet of gelee and squares of zucchini skin arranged on top:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/apocope/3063291189/in/pool-759455@N23

There were also dots of a basil pesto on the plate. This dish was also to-die-for. A close second for fave of the evening.

7th: Lobster dumplings served over a lobster broth and topped with black trumpet mushrooms.

Similar pic, but not quite what we had:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/apocope/3063295885/in/pool-759455@N23

Simply amazing. The texture of the dumpling was much softer than you'd expect for a normal dumpling, almost gelatinous, but totally smooth and creamy, and SO lobster-y. T kept asking me how they did this - distilled so much lobster flavor into one small globe - and I have no idea. I think this was one of his favorites of the night.

Main

8th: Black (Striped?) Bass topped with brioche toast, sitting on a bed of shredded daikon and something else, surrounded by saffron-infused mussels with red-veined sorrel, served with an orangey shellfish(?) bouillon/sauce, poured tableside.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/apocope/3064128532/in/pool-759455@N23

I loved the bass and the brioche toast, but I did not care for the mussels. I thought they were a bit overkill and took away from the fish. I actually gave the last couple on my plate to T. Then again, I'm generally not a giant fan of mussels. I'll eat them, but they're low on my list of seafood. I thought the sauce was a bit bitter as well, but it did sort of grow on me. T liked this dish quite a bit and thought I was being too nit-picky.

9th: Slow-braised Pork Belly, seared before serving to crisp up the skin, served with a black truffle sauce and yukon gold potatoes 3 ways - a thin sheet & a cylinder that had a bit of creamy mashed potato in the center:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/apocope/3064142360/in/pool-759455@N23

This is they type of dish that I would normally never order since it's so much pure fat, but I have to confess, I'm a convert. It was very flavorful, and the crispiness of the skin provided just the right textural counterpart to the fat. I wanted to take a bath in the sauce.

10th: Shabu Shabu - Slices of Medai fish, trumpet mushroom, napa cabbage, and a shizo leaf, that we dipped in hot kombu broth, served with a white ponzu dipping sauce.

This was nice, but didn't knock my socks off. The fish was very good, sushi-grade but better cooked than raw, but I wish we could have actually drank the broth at the end. I didn't care much for the dipping sauce either. I will say, the presentation was gorgeous.

Dessert

Chocolate Soy - basically explained as a soy paste, almost akin to tofu, that was infused with chocolate and then sprinkled on top with chocolate salt. This had the look and texture of a truffle and was so chocolatey good. I never in a million years would have guessed there was soy in it.

Floating Island - a take on the traditional "Isle Flotant" dessert (that I made in cooking school, ha!) but with a limoncello cloud, a pistachio sauce and a pistachio crisp.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/apocope/3063311371/in/pool-759455@N23

This is not my favorite kind of dessert, but it was good. I think T liked it better than I did.

Exotic Fruit Consumme - Mango Sorbet topped with lemongrass marshmallows, passionfruit seeds & mint, sitting on brunoised pineapple, mango and passionfruit, and a passionfruit consomme, poured tableside.

I did not care for this dessert at all. It was easily my least favorite dish of the evening. I thought there were way too many flavors, components and textures and it was overall too tart. The lemongrass marshmallows didn't taste like much (I could detext a hint of lemongrass), and I thought the texture they added when you ate everything together was icky.

At this point, I thought we were done. We'd long since lost count of courses and assumed that 3 desserts were about it. But I'll confess that all evening, I'd been seeing these gorgeous, PERFECT souffles coming out all evening and was secretly bummed that we weren't going to get one since I think they were on the prix-fixe menu. But then imagine my suprise when we each got one!

Praline Souffle - with Frangelico base and rum sauce.

To. Die. For. This was sooooo good. But by the time it came, we were already pretty full. And for EACH of us to eat our own not small souffle was kind of crazy. I struggled to finish mine, and only because T pushed me to do it, saying I'd regret wasting it.

At this point, I thought I was going to burst. T and I started making jokes about how we wouldn't have to pull through the drive-thru after all. And then our server told us that while technically, that was the last course, there was still a Mignardises. *groan* She actually offered to wrap them up for us, but after convincing us that they were just two very small bites, we went with it.

Served together: Macaroon cookie sandwich with salty caramel filling and a Canelé Bordeaux cake. Here's a pic of the latter, which is kind of a custardy cake covered with beeswax to give the outside a crunchy texture.

I'm normally not a huge fan of macaroons, but this was like a heavenly little pillow, filled with caramel goodness. Despite being stuffed, I probably could have eaten another... or six. The canelé was good also, but I just couldn't finish it. Honestly, I was a bit OD'd on soft custard-y textured things after the souffle.

After dinner, we got to take a tour of the kitchen. Of course, it was now about midnight and service had long since officially ended, so most of the staff were cleaning. I was a little bit sad that we didn't get to see it in action, but it was still amazing. The kitchen was HUGE, I believe they said slightly more than half the space of the entire restaurant, which is crazy. It was amazingly clean, which I imagine it is even at the height of service, and there were separate stations for everything, as well as lots of cool machines to make all the various components. There was even a separate fish kitchen where I guess the chef himself breaks down the fish that is flown in every other day from Japan. Crazy. Here's a link to a pic from someone else's Flickr, just to give you an idea:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/apocope/3064166838/in/set-72157610262028662/

So this was definitely the meal of a lifetime...but I'm already thinking about how/when we can go back. I'll also add that despite the fact that this place was insanely high-end, our server was fantastically warm and friendly. I never felt like she was looking down her noses at us, especially when we decided to forego wine and drank water the rest of the evening after we finished our pre-dinner drinks. And it goes without saying that the service was overall impeccable. Beautiful table service, presentation, all-new appropriate silverware for every course; we never had to ask for a thing. An amazing meal, in every sense.

Argh.

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:13:00 +0000

So. I'm at my mom's house this week. And she while she does have cable, she does NOT get Bravo. *sigh*

I thought I'd be able to watch this week's Project Runway online, but no such luck. The most recent episode they have up is the LL Cool J one. Jerks. And on top of that, I was trying really hard to NOT know who was kicked off before seeing the episode, but the first thing I see on Bravo's website? "Watch Jerell's last words!" Double jerks.

So no recap or comments this week. It'll have to save my vitriol for the finale. Instead, since my suspense is already ruined, I'll link to a recap by people infinitely funnier than me at Best Week Ever (the photo up top is also "courtesy" of them). And I'll also reiterate how much I HATE Kenley with the burning fire of a thousand suns. She sucks. I'd kiss Wendy Pepper before I'd shake Kenley's hand.

By the way, I must also add that my mom's computer is on Vista, which totally f'ing BLOWS. IE has crashed no less than 2 dozen times while I've been trying to post this. Grrr.

Unbelievable

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:16:00 +0000

So once again, Kenley squeaks through. Ugh, ugh, UGH!! I think tonight's episode really demonstrated every reason why she sucks.
Excuses for why she didn't win last week? Check.
Whining about how she's so misunderstood? Check.
Bagging on everyone else to make herself look better? Check.
Backtalk to Tim and the judges? Check.
Overconfidence? Check.

I think from the very first scene of the show, it was clear that she's finally on the downswing. Because yes, it's all Leanne's fault that you lost last week. She just couldn't sell your crappy white girl imitation version of hip hop. And then she wonders why no one likes her. Whatever. It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you've been a raging bitch all season, openly laughing at other designers' work and belittling anyone who dares to criticize you.

I think it's pretty telling when all the other designers openly hate one person. Normally, you'd figure they spend so much time together and that in most cases, the "villain" is more a victim of editing. But the evil glee that Jerell, Korto and Leanne all took in Kenley forgetting her tulle and then purposely NOT giving her their extra...hilarious! I laughed my freaking butt off.

I'm glad the judges FINALLY commented on Kenley's bad attitude too. I almost have to wonder if the fact that they have so little interaction with her has blinded them to her ongoing suckitude. I loved it too that Jerell called her out. Pure awesome.

I stand by my previous statements that Kenley sucks worse than the Pepper. At least Wendy Pepper knew that she was outclassed from a talent standpoint.

In any case, it was another sort of lackluster set of performances this week. I wasn't really over the moon about any of the dresses, so I'm really curious to see how their collections turn out (and no, I have NOT looked at any of the spoiler pics from Fashion Week) in next week's show, which I will probably have to find a way to watch online, since I'll be at my mom's house and she doesn't get Bravo. Grr.

I'm still picking Jerell and Korto as the two front-runners, with Jerell having the slight edge. I think Leanne is a bit of the dark horse since she seems to be a bit inconsistent, and also has trouble with some of her editing choices. I refuse to even entertain the notion of Kenley winning.

Speechless

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:03:00 +0000

hate. kenley. so. much.

I'm so enraged by tonight's show, I can barely speak. Suede's outfit wasn't great, but Kenley's was god-awful. I can't even talk about this. I'm going to have to write more when I've calmed down.

True Blah

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:17:00 +0000

I normally love vampire stories, so I was kind of excited to watch the new HBO series, True Blood. And the fact that it's produced by Alan Ball was also a plus for me since I loved Six Feet Under (that last episode still makes me cry every time). T & I tivo'd the first episode a few weeks back and have just caught up with the three eps that have aired so far. And so far, the verdict is...meh.

The premise is intriguing: vampires "come out of the closet" and try to become a part of mainstream society; there's several mentions of a 'vampires' rights amendment' or something of the sort, which I assume is a nod to the civil rights movement. But the fact that the bulk of the show revolves around a backwater town in rural Louisiana gets very old, very fast. I may have a high tolerance for cheesy vampire shit, but I definitely do NOT have a high tolerance for cheesy southern accents.

I'm not going to go into tremendous detail here. I'll just say that the first episode had a lot of promise, but I've spent every one since waiting for something big to happen, some revelation or connection between all the pieces. And it still hasn't. I only have so much patience for a new show, even an HBO one. All the characters just seem so trite and two-dimensional: the sassy black girlfriend, the shallow womanizing brother, the doting grandmother. The murder-mystery seems somewhat predictible, and there's not enough of the revelations of backstory or mythology surrounding the vampires (or even the main character's psychic abilities) that are what I personally find most fascinating. As I watched each episode, I found myself mentally comparing it to Anne Rice or Buffy, and all in all, it's sorely lacking. But of course, like the sucker I am (no pun intended), I'll probably still watch it.

Speaking of lameness, I'm also already feeling kind of over Entourage. I think they jumped the shark with the whole Medellin storyline (although, check out the trailer on the "official" Medellin website - it's sweet). It just dragged on way too long, and the fallout of it being a bomb is just plain boring.

The initial appeal of the show, at least to me, was that it was pretty light-hearted. Kind of a fun insiders' look at young Hollywood and how ridiculous the lifestyle is. But now I feel like it's starting to take itself a little too seriously, especially after all the comparisons of it being the male equivalent of Sex and the City. So they're going to try and build Vince up to be some sort of serious actor. Bah. This is one of those times that I wish I could hit fast-forward on the tivo and jump ahead like, 3 episodes to when it gets good again.

What year is this?

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:33:00 +0000

So, in case you've never noticed, I am Asian. Chinese, to be specific. My parents are actually from Taiwan, but I was born here in the U.S. As a child, I never ever had a single doll that looked anything like me. If I could find one that had brown hair, it was a banner day. Now I know that 30-odd years ago, it was simply not possible to find Asian-American dolls. But you'd think that we've come a long way since I was a kid, right? Well....I'm starting to feel not so sure about that.

For instance, the toys pictured up top. Those are real toys, currently for sale on Oompa.com, under the title of "Asian Family." I mean, seriously? Those border on freaking caricature. Who is buying those for their kid's dollhouse? Not me, that's for damn sure. And then I found these dolls, which might be even more horrifying, if that's possible.

So now that I have a daughter of my own, I've been on the search for some Asian dolls for her to play with. Let me tell you, the pickings are SLIM. For one thing, don't even bother looking in a brick and mortar store. At least, not here in Texas, and definitely not at any of the major chain stores. I've focused the bulk of my search online. The results I've found have varied from comical to downright horrifying. Let's take a gander, shall we?

The first doll that usually comes up in a search is this Corelle one. Corelle dolls are (I'm told) very high quality and expensive - I think they're French, if that means anything. This one's name is "Yang," (rolling my eyes) and in all honestly, she's not that bad. But I just don't find her to be very cute. Her hair is awful, and she looks like she's frowning, which I think is weird.

Corolle also makes another Asian doll, known as "Choquette Kim," although she's not listed on the Corolle website. Except for the black hair and slightly less peachy skin tone, she looks just like all the other dolls in the same line - meaning, she has big old round-y eyes. I think this is my biggest peeve: when they take a white/Caucasian baby doll, add some black hair and call it good. Grr.

Then we start to get into some of the weirder stuff, the ones that really bug me. For instance, the other type of doll that comes up a lot when you google search for "Asian dolls" are white dolls dressed in "traditional Asian" clothing. Like this one, which looks like some sort of Asian version of a Precious Moments figurine. Barf.

Last, but not least, there are the cloth dolls where they usually just draw a nice slanty line for the eyes, like this one. Also a bit of a peeve. I mean, I know my eyes aren't super round, but they aren't freaking little tiny slits either.

So there are a few dolls that I do like. This website called the Children's Factory actually has a pretty wide selection of ethnic dolls. Here are some of my faves.

But I'm super picky, so there's still things about each of the above dolls that I don't quite like. Although, I probably will buy the potty doll when we get ready to potty train. I finally ended up buying this pattern so I could make a doll myself. Here's the finished end product.

Not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with it for now.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, we do already have one doll that I'm pretty happy with. It's the American Girl Bitty Baby with light skin, dark hair, and almond eyes. She's not super Asian-looking, but she does have almond eyes that are not outrageously slanty, so I'm satisfied. However, I would never pay that much for a doll, especially for a very small child. I'm way too much of a cheapskate. My sister-in-law loves American Girl dolls and bought it for E when she was born.

And then there were five...

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:02:00 +0000

OK, first off, a little rant:
I am so. freaking. sick. of Kenley! Ugh!!!! I don't think I've hated a Project Runway contestant this much since...Wendy Pepper. That's saying something. I mean, one of the first things they show her saying on last night's episode is how Tim Gunn just doesn't "get" her and she's not going to listen to him.

OK, how many freaking times do I have to say it? ALWAYS LISTEN TO TIM GUNN! The man is right about 99.8% of the time! And if you don't care what he or the judges think, then why bother being on this show? I hate hate hate people who think they know more than the judges. Or refuse to accept constructive criticism in order to grow and learn. Yes, I'm talking to you, Miss "I don't pay attention to other collections." Um, OK, that makes sense. Because you know, if you're so freaking smart, then why aren't you the editor of a major fashion magazine or the head of a multi-million dollar fashion empire? I'm not a huge fan of Michael Kors only because he's not to my personal taste, but I will admit that the man does know what he's doing.

T gave a perfect description of Kenley during one commercial break. He said that she's like the girl you meet at a party that seems really cool. She's all cute and hip with her vintage Bettie Page hair and clothes. But then you get to be friends with her and after a month or two, you realize that she just plain sucks. She's a bitch who has nothing else going for her but her surface appeal and her ability to bag on everything and everyone around her. (Ok, I embellished his words for that last sentence, but it's true.) When she busted out laughing on the runway at the judges' comments about Joe, I wanted to reach through the screen and smack her. I mean, seriously, show a little respect and self-control.

And this show has reflected that perfectly. After the first episode, both T and I really liked her, thought she was talented and cute. But the allure quickly faded as we realized that she's sort of a self-important bitch. And Jerel hit the nail on the head when he pointed out that she really only has the one look that she just keeps shuffling out there over and over and over again. In fact, Jerel has pointed that out about more than one contestant, and guess what? All the other ones are gone. After seeing the previews for next week, I cackled with evil glee at the thought of Kenley possibly finally getting her comeuppance.

Overall, I thought last night's was a good show. I love makeovers! I thought Jerel's look was amazing. He totally deserved his win. I don't think anyone else had a chance. Korto's look was cool. I was kinda surprised that she managed to pull off the burlap jacket. It was looking pretty dicey there for a while. Everyone else was...meh. Suede's and Joe's outfits were both pretty horrifying. As soon as Joe started talking about doing a suit from menswear fabric, my heart sank for him. I mean, I know he's not the most trendy hipster guy on the show, but sheesh man, a blue skirt suit? For a graphic designer? Really? He was doomed from the start. But Suede gave him a run for the money with his awful crazy ugly jacket. Anyone else notice how the much the references to himself in the third person have subsided now that he's on the chopping block?

So I think the top 3 are pretty clear. Jerel, Korto and Leanne. Although I'm sure Kenley will find a way to sneak in there, especially if they end up sending 4 instead of 3 to Bryant Park. I don't think Suede stands a chance. And Joe should have been happy to make it as far as he did. Yes, you're straight. Dude, we get it.

Fashion Week was actually last week, and I know all of the final 6 showed collections. I've refrained from reading much more than that because I want to preserve the suspense till I watch the finale.

teehee

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:15:00 +0000

I'm not usually a big fan of Jimmy Kimmel, and I rarely watch his show, but a friend posted this on the mom's board I'm on and it's too funny not to share.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Color me unimpressed

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:26:00 +0000

Am I the only one who is a bit disappointed in Project Runway this season? Like, maybe they decided to cast for drama instead of talent? I swear, I am SO sick of listening to contestants bitch and moan about how misunderstood they are. Ugh! The last two weeks of whining have just made me so irritable. In fact, I was beyond disgusted to have to even look at Keith's face again last night. That guy sucks beyond belief. I can't believe they brought all those people back. I never really get it when they do stuff like that. I mean, you have all these people who've been booted, some of whom have GOT to still be bitter (ahem, Keith), and they have zero incentive for helping their partner! I would probably say screw you and take a nap too.

Also, is anyone else starting to hate Kenley as much as I do? I really liked her after the first episode or two, but man is she irritating now! Between the annoyingly fake laugh and the general overconfidence and refusal to accept criticism, she's fallen far and fast in my book. And I've hated the last few outfits she's made too. Last week, I was stunned when she ended up in the top two. And last night...blech.

I was also a little surprised that Jerel won last night. I didn't care much for his outfit. I guess I'm just not in sync with the judges this season. I was glad to see Blayne go, and a little surprised that Suede escaped the axe. I liked Terri, but I have to admit that after one of the other contestants pointed out that she was sort of a one-trick pony, the charm started to wear off.

So now we're finally down to a more interesting and manageable six contestants. Again, not hugely impressed with any of them. I do like Leanne quite a bit after she got over her early missteps (and ditched the fugly glasses). And Jerel, while inconsistent, seems to be a pretty solid contender as well. But everyone else...meh.

The Cho Show

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:28:00 +0000

Late last night I caught what I think was the first episode of Margaret Cho's new show on VH1. I remember reading a while back that she was going to have a show, but frankly, I kind of abandoned VH1's whole "celebreality" lineup a few months ago and forgot all about it. I'm normally all for trashy tv, but I've had more than my fill of Bret Michaels, "New York," rehab and whatever other dreck they've been throwing on.

I've always been a huge fan of Margaret Cho, even during and after her awful awful sitcom, but I kind of stopped hearing about her for a while. I think there was a rehab stint or something? Anyways, next time I saw her, she's all super svelte and has all these crazy tats! (If you want to see a crazy and slightly disturbing picture, check out the link in #3 on this site, found through Pajiba)

But I was pleasantly surprised by The Cho Show. It reminds me a little bit of Kathy Griffin's Bravo show, but not quite so desperate or mean-spirited. Not that I don't like My Life on the D List, but it gets a little old. Cho's show is a little bit over the top as well (her personal assistant is a glammed-out little person, she considers going to an awards show in body paint only), but then I would expect no less. And somehow, Cho is just generally less grating on my nerves. I also really like actually seeing her interact with her parents since I always wondered how accepting they were of her performances, among other things. But it's kind of tender to see that while they clearly think she's nutty, they just kind of roll with it, even when she makes fun of them and threatens to put them in a home.

I'm adding a season pass to my DVR. I believe new eps are on Thursday nights, but of course VH1 also reruns them ad nauseum.

Where to begin

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:34:00 +0000

I keep meaning to write about the new season of Project Runway, but it's almost too overwhelming during these early episodes. I can't remember anyone's name, especially now that they start with 16 contestants! But now that we're down to a sort of reasonable number, I'm going to do my best. Although I will preface with saying that I was sort of bummed that the Asian guy was the first one "Auf'd." Why is it always the Asian dude that turns out to be embarrassing? Dammit.

So we're only 3 episodes in, there are already 3 people I cannot stand. I'm sure it won't take rocket science to figure out who they are.

#1. Guy who keeps referring to himself in the third person. I'm sorry, was there EVER a point in time when this was considered funny or cool? T pointed out that despite the idiocy of it, it does effectively draw attention to yourself. So congratulations Suede, you win the prize for having having an asinine schtick to match your asinine name. I could almost over look it if he were 17, but he's freaking 37! I'm all the more pained by the fact that he appears to actually be talented, so we may have to endure this for a while. Bleh.

#2. Old chick who thinks she's still rockin.' From the first episode, she's done nothing but whine. Her cause is also hurt by the fact that she is annoying just to look at. What the heck is up with the dots of eyeliner under her eyes? Scary.

#3. Guy who thinks it's clever to add "licious" to everything. Um, yeah, not funny. It's not even original dude. Just sad, really.

Onto tonight's episode. Was I the only one who was shocked/horrified by the outcome? I honestly thought that Kenley's outfit was hideous. I mean, I guess it was well-made, but the colors made my head hurt. I wasn't a big fan of Terri's either, but I guess the whole 80s aesthetic is in now. I can't believe that Leanne didn't win though. Hers was so gorgeous!

I was also pretty surprised that Emily was eliminated. Her dress was definitely not great, but it wasn't nearly as hideous as Jennifer or Keith's! I'm usually pretty good at calling it on who's going to be booted, and I was way off this time.

So the frontrunners so far seem to be Kenley, Kelli and (sigh) Suede. The talent (and ego) levels seem to be very high again this season, so I suppose anything can happen.

Oh, one last thing. What the hell happened to Sandra Bernhard's face? She looked like she was so botoxed that she could barely manage a smile. Bleah!

Gotta love Sesame Street

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:44:00 +0000

I will say that one nice thing about having a kid is getting back in touch with some of the things that I loved as a child. Like most people in my age group, I have very fond memories of watching Sesame Street. E is still a little young to really understand it (or any TV, for that matter), but we watch it together on occasion. It's changed quite a bit over the years (Elmo seems to have taken over), but every so often there's still some really good gems in there. I've never been a huge REM fan, but I had to giggle when I saw this the other day:

And this one, I didn't see this when it aired, but it was on Pajiba today and I couldn't resist:

Last, but not least, I have to add this gem that T sent me a while back. I honestly cannot believe that they let him jam out with like, a 10-piece band, but they did and it is the pinnacle of awesomeness:

Just noticed this

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:32:00 +0000

From Yahoo Most Popular - because you know, that's where all the hard-hitting news is:
I guess Jessica is out due to injury and Comfort is back in.

It'll be interesting to see what happens this week now, especially since I never thought Jessica was that strong a performer anyways. But I also doubt that Comfort will make the most of her reprieve.

No big surprises

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:42:00 +0000

It's taken me a while to catch up since we were out of town all last week, but I ended up watching last week's and this week's SYTYCD pretty much back to back. It's all starting to get a bit predictable now. After we watched last week's, where Kourtni & Matt were eliminated (meh - good riddance, tall freaks), I immediately turned to T and said, "Buh-bye Comfort & Thayne" because it was so SO obvious that they were going to be cut next. I mean, they were decent, but let's face it, they were also just both way out of their league compared to the remaining 10, some on a level of talent, but others on a charisma/personality level.

But all that being said, I have to say, it's starting to irk me how the judges really stump more for some couples over others. More than a few times this season, I've thought that a dance was really kind of sucky and tired, but then the judges come out fawning all over how wonderful it is. I hate to sound like one of those lame-o conspiracy types, but it really does seem odd how certain couples would just get hammered every week no matter how good the routine seemed to my amateur eyes.

Also, am I the only one who wants to punch Mary Murphy in the face? I know being loud and annoying is like, her schtick, but damn, she's really taking it to a whole new level this year. And since when did the "hot tamale train" become some sort of marketable catch phrase. It cracks me up when she shakes her head, all sad and serious, and says, "I'm sorry, I just can't put you on the train this week." It's not frickin' Sophie's Choice woman. I feel like the Queen Bee chick from Mean Girls and saying "Stop saying 'fetch!' It's just not going to happen!" No one is going to be buying "Hot Tamale Train" t-shirts, Mary Murphy. Just give it up. It was only moderately funny for one season. Now it's just sad.

Total side note, but how scary has her eye makeup has been the past couple weeks? In case you missed it, she's had this crazy shimmery white eyeliner all around her eyes. T said she looked like an alien. I wish I could find a picture.

But to get back to the top 10 remaining, I think Will is the obvious favorite, especially considering how much the judges kiss his ass. Jessica has clearly been riding his coattails, and once they switch to individual voting, I bet she'll sink like a rock. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she's off next week. Also, has anyone else noticed how all the remaining girls are all perky & cute, girl-next-door types? Hmmm...suspicious.

For the girls, I think Chelsie is the frontrunner. I like Courtney a lot too, but I don't think she's as strong a dancer. I think she benefits a lot from good chemistry with Gev. For some reason Katee rubs me the wrong way, so I'm having a hard time rooting for her, even though as a rule, I always root for the Asians. ;) Still, her Bollywood routine this week was pretty awesome.

Boys: I'm still rooting for Twitch, but he's starting to be a little too cheesy for me. I've always really liked Mark, but I don't think he can win the whole thing. The quirkiness that attracts me probably repels too many others. And I'll admit, Will's crazy six-pack did make a strong impression the last couple weeks. If they keep having him dance shirtless, he's a cinch for the female vote (ooh, wish I had a pic of that too).

nerds

noreply@blogger.com (meshell) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:13:00 +0000