TVSquad

Alton Brown is a unique commodity on Food Network. In an environment where most of the action is in front of the stove or above the cutting board, Brown's Good Eats takes us beyond that. Sometimes it's to the origins of the food or the recipe; other times it's into the science of how all of the ingredients of a particular combination of foods work together. He does this with a bit of nerdiness, a bit of hipness, and a good amount of humor.

When he took his love for food on the road in the first Feasting on Asphalt it produced a very successful mini-series that showed the non-corporate side of America's eateries. It also showed us some of the small cities and towns, and their personalities, that we don't normally see off of the interstate at our Applebee's booth.

Now, his second series of Asphalt is out on DVD. While not as fresh as the first series (and, what is the second time around?) it is still a fascinating look into the America that has been nearly forgotten as the corporations took over the country. You'll want to savor this journey because, frankly, that's about all there is in this 3-DVD set.

A day hasn't gone by where we haven't received some sort of tip or email asking us, the TV Squad, how to get on [insert reality show here]. Unfortunately no, Simon Cowell does not work for us, and Donald Trump isn't my BFF, so we really can't help all that much.

The folks at RealityWanted.com often send us a list of new and existing reality shows that are looking for new, er, talent, and they've given us permission to make mention of them here. We'll try to make this a regular feature as often as we get a new list.

This time we have Styledome, High School Musical: Summer Session and other new shows.

I'm not into football, but I do watch the Super Bowl every single year. I watch it for the new expensive commercials (which we'll be covering here at TV Squad). But if you're the type of person who doesn't like the game or the commercials, here's what you can watch instead on Sunday (not just during the game at night but during the all-day pre-game show too). Puppies and Klingons and Beatles, oh my!

Fans of Rachael Ray rejoice! Haters of Rachael Ray can continue to seethe a bit more.

The enormously chipper Ray, who is all over television and the print media these days, has just signed on for another two years at Food Network. In addition to her very popular 30 Minute Meals program (60 episodes per year, as opposed to a previous 80 per year) Ray will host a new program titled Rachael's Vacation, which will have Rachael traveling around the world showing viewers her favorite sites, restaurants, and markets. Frankly, this seems like a combination of $40 a Day and Rachael's Tasty Travels, just without the budget.

Gallery: Rachael Ray

Fishbowl New York is reporting that negotiations between celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse and Food Network have gotten nowhere and he won't be returning to the cable channel. The last day of taping for his show is December 11, though reruns will continue on the network, probably forever.

First Sara Moulton, then Mario Batali, now Emeril. I can't say I'll be sorry to see him go though. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but his Emeril Live show is unwatchable. I mean, come on, a live studio audience and a band? That's just ridiculous. The audience has orgasms every time he mentions that he's going to put garlic into a recipe, and applauds when he adds alcohol. And his "oh yeah, babe" is even more annoying than his "bam!" I'm sure he'll pop up on TV some place else.

Who will be next to go? Alton Brown? Sandra Lee? Bobby Flay? Nah, I say all of those people stay on for a long time.

Update: Food Network e-mailed Serious Eats to say that only Emeril Live is ending. Lagasse will continue to do the audience and band-free Essence of Emeril on the network.