Kitchen Nightmares

Dotty ex-antiques shop owner Sandy, sulky Laura and horse-faced Helen run Morgans, an intimate restaurant in Woolton, an upscale suburb of Liverpool, with British super-soap Hollyoaks taped just around the corner.

I'd been suffering from some Gordon Ramsay withdrawal since Hell's Kitchen finished up it's tepid third season just a few weeks ago, but flipping through the what's on list on Tivo there I found him on BBC America in Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. And that's where I met the gals of Morgans as Ramsay bleeps his way through another hour of reality television, this time hoping to turn around struggling and underperforming British restaurants with all the finesse of a bull in a china shop.

No matter what your opinion of Ramsay he certainly knows what he's doing, demanding responsibility and profitability from his new found charges, which, at least in this episode, results in a terrific upswing in business and success for sous-turned-head chef Emma. All the while however Ramsay simply delights in stirring up the emotions and egos involved in running a restaurant. This of course makes for good TV, has earned the show a couple of BAFTAs (the British Emmy), and come September 19th we'll see Kitchen Nightmares, the US copycat version on FOX.

I wonder if "bollocks" will be among the words bleeped out!

Buffy Cancelled for a Third Time!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the (best) TV show (ever) ended in May 2003 after Sarah Michelle Geller decided not to renew her contract. Just months later then license holder Moore Action Collectibles cancelled their line of action figures, claiming lack of retailer support. Fan support however was rabid, ultimately resulting in Diamond Select Toys' decision to take over the line and produce a 100 or so figures (as well as some superb plush and prop replicas) over the next four years.

Last week, on August 22nd 2007 to be precise, Chuck Terceira, Director of Diamond Select Toys, announced the cancellation of all upcoming Buffy figure releases, most notably the "build-a-figure" Judge wave which was due in stores at the end of the month, a wave which was first announced as far back as last November.

The fans have again rallied to take action. In hopes of securing a release for said figures, Philip M, administrator of SlayAlive and BtVSFigs, has organized the Save BUFFY Figures campaign. On August 29th, 2007 supporters will purchase at least one figure directly from DST. Polls on both sites will determine which currently available figure should be purchased, the goal being to buy up all of Diamond's stock in that item and show consumer interest in the line. I'm sure everyone reading this will do their part!

As much as I wanted a 6" vampire Dru, I suppose this sad news allows me to focus my collecting attentions on the Harry Potter and Doctor Who lines. Hmmmm!

Big Brother: The Stuff We Don't See!

"I saw a vision. I won the POV, and I feel like that was God's way... of prepping me for this week... If everything pans out as God's told me its going to, you know, I'm going to win POV tomorrow and Jameka and me will be in the final two. That's what I really believe."

Oh, poor, dear, vocabulary challenged Amber, your vision didn't come to pass, but God may actually be on your side after all. It looks like we'll be saying "Bye Bye" to dear busty Jen this week. Backdoored by Danielle, Jen threw a wobbly once the prime-time cameras shut down for the night on Tuesday, ranting and raving, destroying Dick's fags and breaking from her season-long slop sentence, finally tucking in to some real food.

This earned her the first ever Big Brother penalty nomination:


Which was later changed to a single penalty vote. Seeing as she's sure to be gone this week, I suppose this will seem more dramatic on tonight's live Thursday show.

By the way a big “thank you” to Reality Blurred for keeping me updated on these real cumings and goings in the house (and by that I'm also referring to Eric's on-screen masturbation, a video of which has since been removed from YouTube), since I don’t subscribe to the live feed nor do I have Showtime Too. Oh well, much as I love BB8, three primetime hours and some online gossip is more than enough.

But back to Jen, who, truth be told, has been one of my favourite houseguests this season. Though truly self absorbed, her don’t care attitude and competitive edge have gotten her pretty far (although she’s been on the block numerous times). She's proved she’s there to play the game (and not just in it for the cash, having relinquished half her possible winnings during a veto competition), making her untelevised outbursts true to character. Let's face it, who really wants to play to lose? And this is effectively what she’s now doing. She may as well go out with a bang and have some fun (and some real food) while she finishes up her time in the BB house. Good on her, I'm sure I'd play it a similar way.

And yes Matt, I think (and am hoping) that Danielle will take it all, with Jess, Eric and sadly at this point I'm thinking Amber (maybe God's poisoning my mind) may actuallly round out the final four.

Big Brother Update: Week Whatever-It-Is

A hottieless house is not necessary a boring house, as the last couple of weeks of BB8 is proving. If anything Nick's ousting has helped the season, lighting the fire in Danielle and encouraging Dick to reluctantly make peace with Jen and (now gone) Kail.

Let's first talk Evil Dick, the voice of reason this season? Love him or hate (and I love him), he says what he thinks, is not afraid to confront people, point out their hypocrisies and tell it like it is. Maybe not the best way to play the game, but Dick is doing what he needs to to get Danielle to the end. Pissing off the other houseguests seems his way of making up for lost time and trying to be a good dad. A prime example being this outburst towards Amber (and Jameka) before the veto competition:

"You are one ugly bitch. On the life of your daughter I am going to make you so miserable every f***ing day that you regret ever seeing me. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Let's pray! You save her Jameka, even though you don't know how to save yourself. Help me Jesus! Help me Lord! Give me that magic ping-pong ball this morning!"

Oh Dustin, how I grow to hate reality TV homos! I begin each show hoping beyond hope that I am going to be able to identify with, and support to the end, the resident homo. This season ex-boyfriend Joe was flamingly obnoxious (so dispatched quickly), then Dustin became comfortable, started solidifying his role as leader of the LNC, and became as sanctimonious, annoying and preachingly precious as the God-fearing rest of them.

Dustin I ask you, which is a more "professional" career, a shoe salesman vs. bartender? Oh Princess!

In other news the blogs and forums are bubbling about rumours that producers of the show manipulate those Diary Room confessions (come on wasn't that obvious, last season Mike Boogie's explanations of each veto or HOH game were just so damn scripted), as well as the cast's incessant bigotry, which has supposedly reached an all time high. This has lead one very clever MySpacer to create the following very cool BB8 Prejudice map:

Stardust vs. Flash

After catching Stardust this weekend at The Grove, I understand why Joe was so upset at not meeting Neil Gaiman at this year's Comic Con. The movie is a wonderful, joyful fantasy romp, and certainly the best movie I've seen this summer. Please go see it, you'll thank me!

Having seen the trailer earlier this year, I went in knowing nothing more about the story except that Claire Danes plays a fallen star sought by a wicked witch played by Michelle Pfeiffer. With the likes of the LOTR trilogy, Legend and The Neverending Story being some of my all-time favourite flicks, Stardust seemed right up my alley (and hey, with Catwoman as a witch, surely you can't go wrong)! It seems however that I was one of the few who responded positively to the marketing, as with The Princess Bride 20 years ago, the studio just didn't know how to sell the movie (hence it sadly only pulled in just over $9 million this weekend).

Danes, with her spot on English accent, truly glows in her role. De Niro's effete, cross dressing Captain Shakespeare is a stud. Relative newcomers Kate Magowan radiates as the tethered princess while Charlie Cox' hero Tristan warms the cockles of your heart. There's even Harry Potter's Mr. Weasley who shows up as a human goat. Oh, and of course the wondrously vile nad deliriously decadent Ms. Pfeiffer, who, at almost 50 still has that twinkle in her eye under, or out of, all those prosthetics. The movies crackles to ever more exuberant life whenever she is on screen.

Still not convinced, read these reviews for yourself:

LA Times

IGN.com

Premiere

Ain't It Cool News

Hollywood.com

From the Balcony

The Sc-Fi Channel's reimagining of Flash Gordon on the other hand was a much a huge disappointment as Stardust was a joy to behold.

Let's face it, we all knew it was going to be bad when Sci-Fi announced that Queen's classic theme created for the camp yet cult 1980 Sam Jones movie would not be used in the show, but rather only for promotional purposes. Because of BSG I still held out some hope however, but just a few minutes into the show today, having discovered that Flash is now a runner (not a football star) and still lives with his mum, well I sadly tuned out.

For a round up of the critics rumblings check them out here on Ain't It Cool News.

It seems like we all want our Flash fun, fast and camp-filled... Max Von Sydow, Brian Blessed et al. you spoiled us!

Mike Ergas: Prejudging Pix from Texas!

Here are some early prejudging shots from the lads over at Muscular Development.

According to big Dave Palumbo, who's reporting directly from the show and posting to the site's forum, Mike unfortunately "looks overdieted.......sacrificed muscle....... skin looks a little loose. Looks small.. Should have done under 210 class."

Mike was selected for the 3rd of the callouts, along with Derik Farnsworth, Mike Kindred, Aiman Faour and Marc Jacobs. So it sadly looks like he's behind Silvio Samuel, Bill Wilmore and Will Harris, Dave's pick for the top three.

The finals are later tonight!

Big Brother: Jew Bashing Amber

What a surprise, good little god-fearing Christan girl Amber from Las Vegas, NV is a bigot.



And you wonder why I despise organized religion!

In other news America's Player Eric has found himself on the chopping block. After being instrumental in ousting of the delicious Nick last week, Eric was rumbled by Daniele after one of those airplane banner flybys (which stated that both Eric and Amber were liars).

Now this whole America's Player "twist" thing doesn't bother me so much, but Eric and those goddamn life-of-their-own eyebrows do! Does he have to make those goofey wide-eyed arched-brow expressions every time he reads one of the producers' Player messages? And then last week when he tired to compare himself to Nick, even going so far as to having the girls give him a faux-hawk, well that was the final straw. Time to say bu-bye Eric!

Remember Mike?

No, not Bentley's Mike, who's new cell phone connected blog can be read here, but rather local bodybuilder "Mighty" Mike Ergas, a particular favourite of mine for pretty much ever (hell I've even given him his own blogger label), who finally earned his IFBB pro status at last year's NPC USA's (the somewhat lackluster 2007 edition of which took place just a couple of weekends ago).

Well, Mike is finally making his pro debut at the Europa Super Show this weekend in Dallas, TX. Up against such luminaries as Silvio Samuel and Quincy Taylor, Mike simply hopes to crack the top three (and therefore receive an invitation to this year's Mr. Olympia). Asked by Bodybuilding.com's Kris Gethin in a recent interview if he'll be "playing the size game" for his debut Mike's response was thus:

"My plan is to do what got me here in the first place and that is to come in as conditioned as I possibly can. Of course I want to be bigger than in the past but size without cuts will do nothing in regards of a decent placing anyway."

At 5'6" and about 220lbs, he's already a pretty damn big boy anyway. Let's just hope mass, with class, ultimately rules the day!

SeaWorld San Diego: Stroller Hell!!!

After two long days at Comic Con, it was time for a change of pace.

San Diego is of course known as the home of two major tourist traps, I mean attractions, the Zoo and SeaWorld, both of which are world reknown. It being the middle of summer, we figured the zoo wouldn't be the most active place on a scorching July afternoon, so we chose to believe and go visit Shamu instead.

We didn't stop to think however what a kiddie nightmare it would be (though I am sure the zoo would have been worst). Disney at least has the tweens and teens to balance out those little munchkins. I truly have never seen as many strollers, or assigned stroller parking areas, in my entire life. And if you think the merchanising at Disney is bad, I don't think it compares with this place - cute, adorable and overpriced plush penguins, seals, dolphins and orca jump out at you at every possible opportunity.

That's not to say the place wasn't fun (though I think I got more out of it than Joe), how can you not get a thrill out of petting a bat ray, ducking through the shark tunnel, and believing with Shamu, even the food was pretty damn good (the Calypso Bay Smokehouse being the standout).

Bratty kids aside, by the end of the afternoon we'd "flown" to the remote Wild Arctic research station, stepped on the scales to see if we weighed as much as a manatee, picked up the requisite fridge magnet, and burned in the sun.

The one thing I can say with certain (which I am sure Joe is quite pleased by), now that I've done SeaWorld, I never have to go back!

National Underwear Day!

Did you know there was such a day? A day to celebrate your boxers, briefs and pantalettes!



Let's give thanks to those nice people at Freshpair for parading such scantily clad men (and women) around Manhatten. (Maybe one day Freshpair will bring these strapping young men to LA!)

But in the meantime, to celebrate, I bring you these fine images:






















And of course let's finish with that classic Calvin Klein ad with Marky...