I can’t stand the talent shows that often dominate the summer TV line up, so Big Brother is my favorite summer reality indulgence. In the past the show has produced some good seasons and some snooze fests. The show has the distinction of having the finest all star competition ever. Their throw every twist in the book attitude has resulted in disgust (brother and sister meet for first time on TV) and brilliance (America votes back in evicted house guests). This summer I was really looking forward to Big Brother 11 as I thought it would be the perfect companion to late night feedings and sleep deprivation. Turns out it’s more of a sleep aid as this season has turned out to be intensely boring.
On paper this year looked promising. Same BB house decked out to the max, a pregnant Chen-bot carrying some kind of robot/human hybrid, and a returning competitor from seasons past. The house and Chen-bot have held up their end but the returning house guest twist was rendered stupid the minute roid rage Jessie (BB10) came back to the game. Any of the other choices would have been better even Cowboy who seems to be channeling Droopy the Dog more than ever. The execution has also been lacking on the major twist of sending the game back to high school. While separating the contestants into high school cliques sounds good, the results have been predictable. The jocks have muscled the nerds into doing what they want. The populars are aloof and out of touch (and racist). The off-beats try to latch on to whoever will have them. A far better twist would have been to find people who fell into these cliques in high school but no longer appear that way on the outside and group them together without revealing the ties that bind until a later date. Of course that doesn’t work when you cast walking stereotypes and people fresh out of high school.
As for the guests themselves I’m completely underwhelmed. Ronnie would have been my favorite but he fell into the age old reality pitfall of overplaying his hand. While he’s surviving he’s clearly lost control of the game. Jessie is an idiot who annoys me at every turn but seems to have the game in hand. Lydia was somewhat intriguing until she slept with Jessie. Kevin is too quiet in his game play. Jeff and Jordan are too slow in the head. Chima, Natalie, and Michele are accessories that are just place holding. Russell still hasn’t convinced me that he’s not just a coat tail riding bully and Casey made a stupid move that’s going to get him evicted this week. Perhaps the only player that was really captivating was the one I wrote off at first glance. Laura, evicted last week, was smart, saw how the game was being played and how to play it. Unfortunately she realized it a smidgen to late and now we’ve got to rely on CBS and the Chen-bot to shake things up.
Another twist has been promised for Thursday but I ‘m guessing that will be the dissolution of the cliques. I think the damage has already been done though and the rest of the season will just be a slow coronation to Russell or Jessie taking home the prize.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Design Me A Star: Week 2
I have to hand it to the producers of HGTV’s Design Star as they’ve clearly been taking notes on how to ratchet up the drama. In just the second episode they threw the designers the dreaded kitchen challenge. For those of you new to Star, this is the challenge that derails the dreams of the aspiring designers year in and year out. Last night’s episode continued to bear that out.
Continuing to tightrope the line between smarmy and charming, host Clive Pearse introduced the designers to the challenge by having two competitors pick teams playground style. Keep in mind that Clive did not inform the designers what exactly the challenge was. It was because of this little fact that I was so surprised by non-descript Amy’s reaction of joy and elation. Hello Amy, let me introduce you to the reality TV construct where every week the challenges are harder and the team leaders are more likely to be eliminated then their underlings. So Amy and week 1 stand out Nathan were the two leaders and Amy continued to surprise by not choosing set designer and construction “expert” Antonio first. This was the first of many poor decisions. Nathan meanwhile smartly chose Antonio and then followed that up with the confusing pick of Jen V2.0, a so called color expert who nearly went home week one. Age-fibber Torie was the last one picked, which I suppose made sense given that she was the last one added to the cast, and lucky for Nathan ended up on his team.
Neither team impressed much this week. The nicest things in both kitchens were the appliances, granite and cabinets all of which should be easy for the novice designer. Team Nathan gave Jen free reign and for the second week in a row she displayed a complete lack of color skills. Granted their family gave them the odd request to mix Italian and Moroccan colors but still the color scheme was a huge mess. Torie did one of the only stand out pieces of design for either team by solving the backsplash issue with stamped foil. Meanwhile, Nathan completely failed as a leader and seemed more concerned about having a good time. Thankfully Antonio saved the day and ensured the nuts and bolts of the job got done. Kudos to him as well for asserting himself and making sure he got to participate in some of the design choices. Nathan further sank down in the ranks as he allowed Jason to pick out the styling accessories. Jason overcrowded the space with a mish-mash of pieces that looked like he just chose one piece out of every aisle at World Market. Please tell me how a Buddha fits in an Italian/Moroccan room. Still the team at least finished their room which cannot be said for Team Amy. The entire team was unfocused and sloppy. Tall guy Dan seemed to have his act together but other than that they all did some sloppy work. Amy was a complete failure as a leader and week one problem child Tashica once again showed a lack of skill by failing to complete any task including the staging. The kitchen had broken glass, crooked cabinets which lead to crooked granite, missing handles and not a single accessorie. Tashica had a hand in all of those problems. That’s why the judging process turned out to be a surprise.
The judging this week furthered my belief that the producers are amping up the drama. Antonio and Dan were predictably singled out for their strong efforts as was Torie. The bottom four were Nathan, Tashica, Amy, and Jen. Hopefully Nathan will rebound from this and learn from his mistakes as I enjoyed his design in week 1. The judges let both him and Jen off the hook since their kitchen was complete. I was prepared to see Tashica go home after spending another week in the bottom two and clearly adding no value to her team. While Amy certainly deserved to be in the bottom two I figured the fair thing to do would be to give her a second chance. Of course the best plot device would be to keep Tashica and let the remaining designers hate on her for sending Amy packing and dread having to work with her. Surprisingly that’s just what the judges did and if the faces of the remaining designers was any indication, the end result should be worth it. Ahoy, there be drama ahead!
Continuing to tightrope the line between smarmy and charming, host Clive Pearse introduced the designers to the challenge by having two competitors pick teams playground style. Keep in mind that Clive did not inform the designers what exactly the challenge was. It was because of this little fact that I was so surprised by non-descript Amy’s reaction of joy and elation. Hello Amy, let me introduce you to the reality TV construct where every week the challenges are harder and the team leaders are more likely to be eliminated then their underlings. So Amy and week 1 stand out Nathan were the two leaders and Amy continued to surprise by not choosing set designer and construction “expert” Antonio first. This was the first of many poor decisions. Nathan meanwhile smartly chose Antonio and then followed that up with the confusing pick of Jen V2.0, a so called color expert who nearly went home week one. Age-fibber Torie was the last one picked, which I suppose made sense given that she was the last one added to the cast, and lucky for Nathan ended up on his team.
Neither team impressed much this week. The nicest things in both kitchens were the appliances, granite and cabinets all of which should be easy for the novice designer. Team Nathan gave Jen free reign and for the second week in a row she displayed a complete lack of color skills. Granted their family gave them the odd request to mix Italian and Moroccan colors but still the color scheme was a huge mess. Torie did one of the only stand out pieces of design for either team by solving the backsplash issue with stamped foil. Meanwhile, Nathan completely failed as a leader and seemed more concerned about having a good time. Thankfully Antonio saved the day and ensured the nuts and bolts of the job got done. Kudos to him as well for asserting himself and making sure he got to participate in some of the design choices. Nathan further sank down in the ranks as he allowed Jason to pick out the styling accessories. Jason overcrowded the space with a mish-mash of pieces that looked like he just chose one piece out of every aisle at World Market. Please tell me how a Buddha fits in an Italian/Moroccan room. Still the team at least finished their room which cannot be said for Team Amy. The entire team was unfocused and sloppy. Tall guy Dan seemed to have his act together but other than that they all did some sloppy work. Amy was a complete failure as a leader and week one problem child Tashica once again showed a lack of skill by failing to complete any task including the staging. The kitchen had broken glass, crooked cabinets which lead to crooked granite, missing handles and not a single accessorie. Tashica had a hand in all of those problems. That’s why the judging process turned out to be a surprise.
The judging this week furthered my belief that the producers are amping up the drama. Antonio and Dan were predictably singled out for their strong efforts as was Torie. The bottom four were Nathan, Tashica, Amy, and Jen. Hopefully Nathan will rebound from this and learn from his mistakes as I enjoyed his design in week 1. The judges let both him and Jen off the hook since their kitchen was complete. I was prepared to see Tashica go home after spending another week in the bottom two and clearly adding no value to her team. While Amy certainly deserved to be in the bottom two I figured the fair thing to do would be to give her a second chance. Of course the best plot device would be to keep Tashica and let the remaining designers hate on her for sending Amy packing and dread having to work with her. Surprisingly that’s just what the judges did and if the faces of the remaining designers was any indication, the end result should be worth it. Ahoy, there be drama ahead!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Madison Restaurant Review: Big Red's Steaks
Jim’s, Geno’s, and Pat’s are my fondest memories of my trips to Philly as a young kid and teenager. I fell in love with the cheesesteak and while I know some food memories can become romanticized I have spent all my Midwestern life trying to find a decent sandwich west of Philly. I’m happy to report my love has finally found a home at Big Red’s Steaks here in Madison, Wisconsin.
Walking into Big Red’s I was instantly put at ease by the laid back if not sloppy look of the place. I was worried I was going to get a glossy version of a steak place like you find at the mall. Nope, here we just have a counter with a menu board and a number of paper reminders about specials and what not. The staff is knowledgeable and certainly was patient with my partner’s first attempt at ordering a cheesesteak and my own rustiness as I attempted to “wit” and “wiz” my way through.
As my partner pointed out, if you want to get to the bottom of a place like Big Red’s you start out by ordering the standard and that’s just what we did. Two steaks wit fried onions and wiz. I know many folks who cringe at cheese wiz on their steaks as opposed to provolone but dammit I’m a purist. The sandwiches were tightly wrapped and dripping with grease which was a good sign right off the bat. Inside the imported bread and meat (from Philly of course) hit all the right notes. The meat was thin and tender and while the portion size was a bit small, it was clearly the star of the sandwich. Next up was the bread which was firm on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Finally there was the wiz and onions which worked in perfect harmony. This was it, after 20 plus years of searching my taste buds had hit pay dirt.
On top of the sandwich we got an order of cheese fries with more of the aforementioned wiz. The fries were also very good and I’m tempted next time to order the Philly fries which also have pieces of steak on them. Then again they also offer mac and cheese bites.
While she loved her cheesesteak, my partner was more excited at the prospect of the Tastykakes Big Red’s carries. For those unfamiliar, Tastykakes are the Philly equivalent of Little Debbie’s but according to my partner, so, so, much better. As a child, her father who was a Philly native, often regaled her with tales of Tastykakes and once in a while would share some with her when friends and family would bring them from out east. After sampling their equivalent of a Ho Ho I’m inclined to agree with her that these are the best packaged snack cakes ever. My partner thinks the secret ingredient is better lard.
Perhaps the biggest downside to Big Red’s is the location. The two owners who started the business as a late night food cart were smart to leave it in the downtown/campus area however the exact spot is difficult for anyone hoping to pick something up on the fly. The nearest meter is about a block away and the only other alternative is one of the State Street parking ramps. Granted I’m guessing that they do most of their business thanks to students and downtown workers, as lord knows if I was either I’d be there multiple times a week, but it’s a gigantic pain for any of us driving in. Still in light of the quality of the food it’s a small inconvenience. Thank you Big Red’s for finally ending my quest.
Big Red’s Steaks, 610 University Ave, Madison, WI (608)255-1183
Walking into Big Red’s I was instantly put at ease by the laid back if not sloppy look of the place. I was worried I was going to get a glossy version of a steak place like you find at the mall. Nope, here we just have a counter with a menu board and a number of paper reminders about specials and what not. The staff is knowledgeable and certainly was patient with my partner’s first attempt at ordering a cheesesteak and my own rustiness as I attempted to “wit” and “wiz” my way through.
As my partner pointed out, if you want to get to the bottom of a place like Big Red’s you start out by ordering the standard and that’s just what we did. Two steaks wit fried onions and wiz. I know many folks who cringe at cheese wiz on their steaks as opposed to provolone but dammit I’m a purist. The sandwiches were tightly wrapped and dripping with grease which was a good sign right off the bat. Inside the imported bread and meat (from Philly of course) hit all the right notes. The meat was thin and tender and while the portion size was a bit small, it was clearly the star of the sandwich. Next up was the bread which was firm on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Finally there was the wiz and onions which worked in perfect harmony. This was it, after 20 plus years of searching my taste buds had hit pay dirt.
On top of the sandwich we got an order of cheese fries with more of the aforementioned wiz. The fries were also very good and I’m tempted next time to order the Philly fries which also have pieces of steak on them. Then again they also offer mac and cheese bites.
While she loved her cheesesteak, my partner was more excited at the prospect of the Tastykakes Big Red’s carries. For those unfamiliar, Tastykakes are the Philly equivalent of Little Debbie’s but according to my partner, so, so, much better. As a child, her father who was a Philly native, often regaled her with tales of Tastykakes and once in a while would share some with her when friends and family would bring them from out east. After sampling their equivalent of a Ho Ho I’m inclined to agree with her that these are the best packaged snack cakes ever. My partner thinks the secret ingredient is better lard.
Perhaps the biggest downside to Big Red’s is the location. The two owners who started the business as a late night food cart were smart to leave it in the downtown/campus area however the exact spot is difficult for anyone hoping to pick something up on the fly. The nearest meter is about a block away and the only other alternative is one of the State Street parking ramps. Granted I’m guessing that they do most of their business thanks to students and downtown workers, as lord knows if I was either I’d be there multiple times a week, but it’s a gigantic pain for any of us driving in. Still in light of the quality of the food it’s a small inconvenience. Thank you Big Red’s for finally ending my quest.
Big Red’s Steaks, 610 University Ave, Madison, WI (608)255-1183
Monday, July 20, 2009
Design Me a Star: Week 1
What a difference a year makes. Last summer I dismissed HGTV’s Design Star as design for idiots since not only did the cast seem destined to forever dwell in Michael’s Arts and Crafts, but they also had to appeal to the average TV viewer since the viewers decided their fate. Now a year later I’m super jazzed about the latest season. Maybe it’s because there is no new season of Bravo!’s Top Design. Maybe it’s because my fellow South High Class of ’92 alum Genevieve Gorder is a judge. Maybe it’s because the judges, also Candice Olson and Vern Yip, now will decide who wins the grand prize. Then again it could just be the urge to watch anything remotely viewable in these dog days of summer TV. Whatever the reason, after last night’s premiere, I’m hooked and will now be doing a weekly column on the show.
The one thing Design Star still lacks are the smooth production twists that we’re accustomed to on shows like Runway or Top Chef. In an effort to change things up last night, they had the 10 designers vote in the 11th competitor. Their decision process was made up of a brief Q&A session and the potentials’ video reels. They chose Torie who looks like a 50 year old ex-beauty queen but in reality is a 35 year old ex-beauty queen. It was a pretty weak twist that did not make for anything resembling engrossing TV.
Once the now 11 contestants got that out of the way, they were given their first challenge of designing the rooms in their Hollywood house. Props to HGTV for delivering the designers the biggest budget in Design Star history even in these tough economic times. I also enjoyed the fact that the designers were left to chose who did what, and how to split the budget. The idea to base the splits on square footage was not only fair but sadly drama free.
The performance in this challenge instantly identified who the best and brightest are in this season. The dining room team of Dan and Nathan were great and the judges certainly recognized their effort. I thought star of the room other than the graphic painting was the large table with the cut out in the middle. Remembering back to last year and the drama the large table brought to those contestants; Dan and Nathan built their own and smartly assembled it in the actual room. The team of bitchy Lonnie, unremarkable Amy and my early favorite Antonio turned out to be a pretty good second. I thought they were heading for trouble with their colors but Antonio’s flying pink ducks saved the day. I also loved the idea of extending the fireplace ledge around the room. Torie and Jany did a nice guest bedroom that was just ok.
Of course with the good also came the bad. Instantly annoying Jason, who looks like a Will Ferrell character or a live action Butt-head, was teamed with Jen the sequel, she not only looks like last year’s winner Jen but came complete with pigtails, in one of the extra bedrooms. Their design included $700 astro turf and a desk chair that didn’t fit under the desk. Let’s not even get into the wooden animal heads they stuck to the wall that they didn’t stain or paint or the lame letter stencils on one wall. They claimed they imagined the owner of the room to be a writer for National Geographic but that was just a lame excuse to cover bad work. Clearly one of them would have gone home if not for the amazingly bad work of the poorly named NataLee and Tashica. Their master bedroom was good on paper but turned out to be one of the worst executed challenges in all of reality show history. This ranks right up there with the season 1 Apprentice challenge where a team made $7. With tape marks on the painted floor, queen comforters ripped in half to fit twin beds, and curtains duck taped to the ceiling this room was horrible beyond words. Credit to the judges for being able to see beyond that and give credit for the plan and the color palette. The only drama was which oddly named contestant would go home for the debacle and in the end it was NataLee due in large part to the seizure she had after doing a decent day’s work.
Perhaps I’m getting too excited about a show I ridiculed a year ago, but so far so good. The promise of Hollywood guest stars should at least keep the show fresh. Not only is basic cable whore Kathy Griffin guest starring but so are 90210 alum Jason Priestly and Tiffani Amber Thiessen. Of course if it goes downhill from here we still have August 20th and Project Runway on the horizon.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
I'm back...what did I miss
If you're reading this then first let me thank you for returning after my month long hiatus. I underestimated the impact that having a child would have on my blog. With that said, this is not a retirement speech. I still plan on blogging about all the ridiculous crap on TV and other pop culture items but perhaps not as regularly. Also be sure to follow me on twitter for instant thoughts at twitter.com/popwilleatme So let's start with some thoughts about things that happened while I was gone.
* Michael Jackson- Well I guess this was the biggest story of not only the summer but probably the pop culture year. I myself got caught up in the moment first by trying to keep up with the breaking news via twitter and contributing to the great web crash of 2009 via CNN.com. In the end Micheal Jackson's music will continue to be played in my house but Michael Jackson the man will be remembered as the man who taught me not to make heroes out of artists. The coverage of all this has been insane and certainly makes Princess Di look like a commoner. While the 24 hour news networks certainly get my usual disdain a special kind of venom goes out to the Jackson family for parading the kids up in front of thousands of strangers at the Staples Center and millions on TV. Mike's daughter looked so prodded and rehersed it was ridiculous.
* Summer of Death- MJ of course wasn't the only celeb to go down while I was gone. Farrah sucummbed to cancer which was sad but what's sadder is that more people will remember her as the crazy chick on Letterman and not as the pinup girl of the 70's. Meanwhile Cash for Gold spokesman Ed Mcmahon also passed. I hated Carson but thought Ed was ok. Just imagining Ed and Phil Hartman in the afterlife trying to one up each other brings a smile to my face. Then we also had Billy Mays who I would consider a celeb like Speidi is a celeb, still I'll miss that voice when I'm up at 3:30 in the morning feeding the boy. Finally we lost Walter Cronkite yesterday and I am truly saddened by the loss of one of the last great pure TV journalists. I just can't imagine Walter sitting outside the Staples Center last week.
* Summer TV Rolls On- I'll dedicate whole columns to Big Brother 11 and HGTV Design Star later this week but other shows premiered while I was gone. Bravo!'s latest scripted reality show Miami Social premiered this week and it was so bad it was bad. The faux friends feel less real then The Hills and it lacks any good villains. The drunk Russian girlfriend of one of the characters should get her own show though. Over on Comedy Central we had the extremely dissapointing premiere of Michael and Michael Have Issues. It's not a horrible show but not up to their previous efforts on Stella or The State. The jokes fall flat more often then they succeed and it's not worth a season pass. Meanwhile Top Chef Masters chugs along and while I'm enjoying it, I hope the final round of six makes for more in demand TV. On Next Food Network Star the mediocrity remains high and I remain firmly behind Jeffrey aka Captain Forehead.
* iPhone 3Gs- While I was on hiatus I also upgraded my phone to the new iPhone. While I've historically been an Apple whore, I resisted the pull of the mobile device largely due to price and AT&T's service. Thanks to my partner I got an early Father's Day present and made the jump. So far I proclaim the iPhone the greatest non-living thing ever. Both the 3G browsing and wifi browsing have exceeded my expectations and the coverage has been good. Then of course there is the video and camera. While I don't expect the iPhone to fully replace our camera or flip video cam it is an amazing tool to have at your side at all times. Lastly there are the apps. I've only just begun but I've used the app store heavily. During the last weeks of pregnancy we used multiple contraction logs. Tiger Woods Golf kept me occupied in the early mornings. The photo apps like Colorsplash and Video Up are useful and fun. Tweetie and Twittelator Pro are keeping me connected. In short I can't imagine my life without it.
* Michael Jackson- Well I guess this was the biggest story of not only the summer but probably the pop culture year. I myself got caught up in the moment first by trying to keep up with the breaking news via twitter and contributing to the great web crash of 2009 via CNN.com. In the end Micheal Jackson's music will continue to be played in my house but Michael Jackson the man will be remembered as the man who taught me not to make heroes out of artists. The coverage of all this has been insane and certainly makes Princess Di look like a commoner. While the 24 hour news networks certainly get my usual disdain a special kind of venom goes out to the Jackson family for parading the kids up in front of thousands of strangers at the Staples Center and millions on TV. Mike's daughter looked so prodded and rehersed it was ridiculous.
* Summer of Death- MJ of course wasn't the only celeb to go down while I was gone. Farrah sucummbed to cancer which was sad but what's sadder is that more people will remember her as the crazy chick on Letterman and not as the pinup girl of the 70's. Meanwhile Cash for Gold spokesman Ed Mcmahon also passed. I hated Carson but thought Ed was ok. Just imagining Ed and Phil Hartman in the afterlife trying to one up each other brings a smile to my face. Then we also had Billy Mays who I would consider a celeb like Speidi is a celeb, still I'll miss that voice when I'm up at 3:30 in the morning feeding the boy. Finally we lost Walter Cronkite yesterday and I am truly saddened by the loss of one of the last great pure TV journalists. I just can't imagine Walter sitting outside the Staples Center last week.
* Summer TV Rolls On- I'll dedicate whole columns to Big Brother 11 and HGTV Design Star later this week but other shows premiered while I was gone. Bravo!'s latest scripted reality show Miami Social premiered this week and it was so bad it was bad. The faux friends feel less real then The Hills and it lacks any good villains. The drunk Russian girlfriend of one of the characters should get her own show though. Over on Comedy Central we had the extremely dissapointing premiere of Michael and Michael Have Issues. It's not a horrible show but not up to their previous efforts on Stella or The State. The jokes fall flat more often then they succeed and it's not worth a season pass. Meanwhile Top Chef Masters chugs along and while I'm enjoying it, I hope the final round of six makes for more in demand TV. On Next Food Network Star the mediocrity remains high and I remain firmly behind Jeffrey aka Captain Forehead.
* iPhone 3Gs- While I was on hiatus I also upgraded my phone to the new iPhone. While I've historically been an Apple whore, I resisted the pull of the mobile device largely due to price and AT&T's service. Thanks to my partner I got an early Father's Day present and made the jump. So far I proclaim the iPhone the greatest non-living thing ever. Both the 3G browsing and wifi browsing have exceeded my expectations and the coverage has been good. Then of course there is the video and camera. While I don't expect the iPhone to fully replace our camera or flip video cam it is an amazing tool to have at your side at all times. Lastly there are the apps. I've only just begun but I've used the app store heavily. During the last weeks of pregnancy we used multiple contraction logs. Tiger Woods Golf kept me occupied in the early mornings. The photo apps like Colorsplash and Video Up are useful and fun. Tweetie and Twittelator Pro are keeping me connected. In short I can't imagine my life without it.
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