TVSquad

(S06E08) Well, things have certainly heated up on Top Chef, haven't they? Oh, I'm not talking about in the kitchen; I'm talking about in the house. These chefs are getting testy, or some are. Eli mentioned in the open that there was a lot of "emotional stress." Well, he should know because he's behind some of it. Then there's motor mouth Robin. Could she really be as yappy as she appears to be on camera?

(S05E03) "My daughter turned Amish on me - how is that possible?!" - Tommy

Even though after two stellar episodes this season is shaping up to be possibly Rescue Me's best yet, I'm going to pick on this episode regardless. Not the whole hour, but a fairly decent chunk, mainly because it relates back to almost all of what was bad about season four. In some ways, it almost felt like it was a leftover that Leary and Tolan decided to use anyway.

Basically I'll try to find any reason to write about Amy Sedaris. And since this is holiday-related, I can justify it.

Sedaris was on the Today Show on Christmas Eve to plug the paperback version of her excellent cooking/entertaining book I Like You and to make Greek spaghetti for hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb. The recipe is in the book, but the ingredients include Parmesan cheese and a whole stick of butter, which you melt and pour on top of the spaghetti and sauce. Probably not the healthiest meal (especially if you include Sedaris' other recipes for various cookies and other desserts) but it looks tasty. I love how Sedaris can show you how to cook the meal and at the same time throw off a bizarre line like "your animals talk for a whole minute on Christmas Eve, did you know that?"

I knew it! In fact, in the comments to Bob's post about who was rumored to be booked for the new season of Dancing with the Stars, I wrote the following: "I love Dan Marino. He's always been one of my all time favorites, but he was known for his arm and quick release, not his footwork!! If Danny is one of the contestants, only his blue eyes will keep him on past round one. I think In Touch is out of touch about this name!"

Well, today Dan Marino's spokesman officially denied the rumor. While Dan was watching the Miami Dolphins scrimmage, his rep told the press that for every year since the show began, Dancing with the Stars has invited Dan Marino to find the dancer in his soul, and every year he's turned them down. Good for Dan.

(S05E06 and S05E07)

Yup, that's right, there are two episodes of The Mole this week, thanks to last week's interruption by The Bachelorette. Of course, it turns out that the first episode is just one of those reality show "up to this point..." rehashes that we often get. These always bore me, especially since I've seen (and reviewed) every episode already. I'm sure there are a few new clues to who the Mole is in this recap, but I'll be damn if I could find them.

We did, however, get to see some unseen footage, including the very large Craig rolling over some of his fellow players on a bed and Nicole saying "All I have to do is be black and die," a quote from an earlier episode that I had forgotten about. We also get to see a new scene where Nicole and Alex admitted throwing that "Fruit of the Luge" challenge. But overall, it's not really a needed episode for fans.

So let's get to this week's new adventure...

HBO has launched yet another quirky, viral marketing campaign - this time to promote the return of Rome on January 14th. From January 10th through the 13th, 100 Italian eateries in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago will be offering complimentary bottles of Rome wine, a cabernet sauvingnon bottled in California and labelled for maximum ad appeal. Rather than have servers push the wine on customers, a card will be placed on each table offering diners "a taste of Rome."

The brainchild behind the promo is Lime Public Relations & Promotions who feel that the campaign is "innovative but tasteful." Lime president Claudia Strauss reported to AdAge that, "The show is all about indulgence, and we just felt this was a great way to bring to life one of the key aspects of the story line." In keeping with the show's over-the-top sex and gore, participating restaurants will also allow diners to drink the blood of Christian martyrs, sodomize select servers and retire to a vomitorium following their meal.