As you all know, I’m a huge fan of my friend Mark and Leslie’s cakes (they run the bakery Mark Joseph Cakes). They are most famous on this site for their R2D2 Cake, which still draws two hundred new readers a day, and now Mark has sent me this photo of an Oscar cake he …
Author Archives: Ben Mandelker
Follow Me On Twitter!
I have at last given in to the vast cyber world that is Twitter. I’d resisted  for no real reason â€â€Ã‚ for the past two years, but finally, enough was enough. I set up a Twitter account for me/this blog, and now I’m up and running! I plan to update frequently; so be sure to …
B-Side Blog Takes You Inside The Oscars
One of the many perks of my new apartment is that I’m just a few blocks away from the Kodak Theatre, the famed venue where the Oscars have been staged for the past five or six years. In honor of my easy access to the festivities, I decided to take a jaunt down to Hollywood …
MISADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Failed Pita Chip Edition
Oops. I accidentally caused a minor conflagration in my toaster oven today when I took my eyes off some would-be pita chips for just a tad too long. Luckily, I’ve been classically trained in such emergency situations, and I knew to simply unplug the toaster oven and just sit there while the fire raged on …
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Thanks For The Memories, Conan
Interning back in the day: December 1998 In case you haven’t been following the shifting landscape of late night television, tonight marks the last episode of Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The good news is that Conan will be moving up to the Tonight Show later this year, and technically, Late Night as a show …
I'm Not Ignoring 'Top Chef.' Bravo Is!
“Emeril, my dear friend Gail Simmons has expressed an interest in eating beignets all night long. Could you cook her up some? I fear that if we don’t feed her, she’ll get very cranky, bless her heart.” In case you’re wondering where the Top Chef photocap is, rest assured â€â€Ã‚ I’m waiting for bravotv.com to get …
Another Great Facebook Meme!
Just last week, I wrote about a fun Facebook meme that parlayed search results on Google into hilarity for all. Laughter was had, tears were shed, and much tagging ensued. A few more memes have come and gone since then, and while they’ve been amusing, they’ve failed to reach the highs of that original “Google …
WTF is This???
What happens when you’re a cast member of Wicked trying to be a real rock ‘n’ roller? You get Adam Lambert, one of American Idol’s aspiring stars for season eight. The guyliner enthusiast has already achieved frontrunner status due to his soaring vocals (he performs in next week’s semifinals group), but he’s also attracted some …
IDOL RESULTS: I Mean Seriously, America
America, you’ve got to be kidding me. Did you really fall for all the sentimental crap the producers shoveled out about personality-free performer Michael Sarver? Apparently you did because the sympathetic yet bland roughneck earned a place in the American Idol top twelve last night, baffling thousands of people who surely expected that spot to …
Chenbot Gets Immortalized
A study in Chenpressionism. Julie Chen turned up in quite the surprising location today: a New York Times article about self-commissioned celebrity portraits. Our favorite hostess and her husband, CBS bigwig Les Moonves, are profiled as some of the many people who’ve had artists recreate their visages for the sake of art. I won’t get …