Did you watch the finale of Top Chef on Bravo last night? It wasn't as exciting as the previous three seasons, but what it lacked in drama, it made up for in history. For the first time ever, a woman was crowned Top Chef. Chicago chef Stephanie Izard beat out Richard Blais and Lisa Fernandes by preparing a four-course meal -- including dessert -- that wowed the judges and outshone her competitors. I was rooting for Stephanie because all through the Top Chef challenges, she showed talent, temperment, taste and modesty (with regard to her chef skills). She consistently produced great food and even though the win last night was not based on the entire season, it could have been because she again came through.
Just to be clear, Stephanie didn't win because she's a woman and it was time for Top Chef to give the prize to the female of the species. This isn't a Hillary thing, so don't go there!
(S11E01) What's this? A new season of King of the Hill has begun and they're actually going to air the episodes in a decent timeslot? It's not going to be buried early in the evening where it will be easy to forget about? What hath we done to appease the Gods of TV that they have favored us with this gift? I don't know, but I'm glad to see this series get the timeslot it deserves.
Imagine this scene: an early-evening party in a hotel lounge area. Half the people there are reporters; the other half are actors and producers from NBC shows. To give you an idea: Ali Larter and Hayden Panettiere of Heroes were there; Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, and Melora Hardin of The Office were milling about; Meredith Vieira was bonding with reporters; and Shane West, Linda Cardellini and Parminder Nagra of ER were talking into tape recorders (Parminder's nickname is "Mindy", by the way). There were others there, but those are the ones I remember.
Every generation produces its share of great comedians, but it's always nice to look back on history and remember those who helped pave the way for those who followed. Even if her comedy wasn't your cup of tea, you can't deny that Phyllis Diller was a pioneer, a woman who broke the mold and made it okay for women to forge their way in a faction of show business long dominated by men, and she did it with a tenacity and fearlessness that rivaled a majority of her male counterparts. She was cracking wise about being a housewife and mother long before comedians like Roseanne would tread the same path.
Hell hath no fury, as they say. The New York Post is reporting that a woman who had a one-night stand with MSNBC's Keith Olbermann was quite upset when the Countdown anchor hit the road after a session of sub par love making. The woman is so upset she started a blog about the ordeal, a blog that is apparently invite only. According to the woman, identified as "KarmaBites1" she and Olbermann met over e-mail, and after their night together he told her not to contact him again. You'll have to excuse my frankness here, but don't most guys say what they need to say to get laid and then make up excuses as to why they have to leave? "I'm sorry, but I have to go, I left a time bomb under my grandma and I only have ten minutes to dismantle it." Isn't this just part of the cycle of bitter relationships that culminates in a person growing old and eventually marrying anyone who's available and then having children through which they try to live vicariously to make up for the life they wish they had, smoking menthol cigarettes at youth sporting events and cursing at the coach between long wet coughs that sound like a draft horse choking on moist celery while a half empty flask of vodka rests at the bottom of their purse? Then again, maybe my grim view of human nature is misplaced. Perhaps I should see my doctor about upping the dosage on my medication. Either way, I hope we've all learned something today, whatever it might be.
Shannen Doherty is teaming up with the
creators of Scare Tactics once again for a new reality show of sorts called Breaking Up with Shannen
Doherty. No, the show isn't about people dating and breaking up with the actress, but it is about people in cruddy
relationships who aren't sure whether to pull the plug or not. Doherty goes undercover to survey the situation, then
deicdes whether to help instigate a break up. Thirteen episodes of the new series will air on Oxygen, though I probably
won't watch it since I grew bored with it in the time it took me to type that sentence describing it. Oh yeah, and I
should point out that the show won't just focus on romantic relationships, but on any kind of bad relationship.
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