B-Side Blog

REAL HOUSEWIVES OF MIAMI PHOTOCAP: What About Your Friendssssss?

Bravo did a bold thing last night: they aired an episode of The Real Housewives of Miami without Elsa Patton! For shame! I suppose they made up for it by giving us a whole thirty-minutes of the series’ breakout star on Watch What Happens Live!, and yes, I did watch what happened, and yes it was pretty amazing. The good news was that for the first time, RHoM actually was pretty good. Sure, there was a lot of dumb filler material (ie. Cristaaaaaiiiihhh strutting during a fashion show), and much of the episode felt patched together from what should have been “Lost footage” (ie. the scene with Marysol and her new husband fighting over a wine fridge), but we had our first girl-on-girl altercation of the season, and that is always something special.

Basically, tensions between Lea and Cristy came to a head when Adriana stirred the pot at Larsa’s luncheon and brought up the whole “invoice” issue (this season’s lame equivalent of “New York City” from Beverly Hills). There was some restrained bickering, but nothing too outrageous. Lea didn’t budge, Cristy didn’t budge, and the only one who truly came off looking like a jerk was Adriana. Continue reading “REAL HOUSEWIVES OF MIAMI PHOTOCAP: What About Your Friendssssss?”

HOUSEWIVES HOEDOWN, Episode 13: The One Where We Make Fun of Jim Bellino For Twenty Minutes

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Here’s the latest episode of Housewives Hoedown. Sadly, no one called in this week (insert passive-aggressive crossed arms here), but my friend Sita and I had a fun time chatting about the ladies of Miami and Orange County. We spent a marked amount of time bashing the Bellinos, Larsa Pippen, and Orange County styles in general. Check it out….

Housewives Hoedown Today at 3:30 PM ET / 12:30 PM PST: Talking About Alexis and Jim

Once again I’ll be hosting another episode of my web show, Housewives Hoedown, and this week I’ll be joined by my friend Sita Young. We’ll be discussing Real Housewives of Orange County and Miami, and we’ll be paying particular attention to Alexis and Jim Bellino.

Call in to share your thoughts on Alexis and Jim. I’d like to know who is worse: Jim for the way he treats Alexis, or Alexis for happily taking it? Furthermore, which couple will last the longest: Alexis & Jim, Tamra & Eddie, or Gretchen & Slade?

Tune in at http://talkmedianetworks.com/live/
And call in at 424-238-0611

Show starts at 3:30 PM ET / 12:30 PST

See you there!

ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Chocolate Peppermint Pattie Sorbet

Hey, remember my ice cream maker? In case you don’t, I landed one last summer and up until three weeks ago, I had used it exactly three times. I’d made chocolate ice cream, honey-rosemary ice cream, and chocolate frozen yogurt. And then it sat on my shelf for many months untouched. Every time I had the urge to make ice cream, I faced two problems: first, guilt from making such an unhealthy treat. It’s one thing to get a cone at the local ice cream parlor or pick up a pint at the supermarket. However, when you see all the heavy cream and eggs that go into one batch, it can be a bit of a buzzkill.

Second, making ice cream is no spur of the moment endeavor. The batter can take anywhere between ten to forty-five minutes, which in and of itself isn’t a big deal, but the problem is that often this requires heating a mixture on the stovetop… and that means a lengthy cool-down period in an ice bath and then the fridge — usually eight hours or more (if you’re being prudent). As you can see, ice cream ain’t no simple task.

Here’s the thing though: what’s the point of having an ice cream machine if I’m not going to use it? I decided I would throw the machine a bone or two, and my first step was to purchase the much-lauded ice cream cookbook / bible The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. One casual glimpse through its pages, and I could already see why it’s been celebrated by critics, chefs, and home cooks year in and year out. The book is filled with amazing things, including a recipe for chocolate sorbet AND a recipe for homemade peppermint patties. Both appealed to me: the sorbet for its chocolate flavors and healthier ingredients; the peppermint patties because of, well, their pretty photo. Besides, I had never thought one could make peppermint patties at home. The challenge alone was intriguing to me.

And thus began my odyssey to make chocolate peppermint pattie [sic] sorbet. Warning: if you are a chocoholic, the following post may be difficult to read…. Continue reading “ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Chocolate Peppermint Pattie Sorbet”

Chris Brown May Have An Anger Problem

In case you haven’t heard, famously even-keeled Chris Brown trashed his dressing room at GMA this morning after host Robin Roberts asked him about that whole Rihanna “thing.” The singer clearly was not in any mood to discuss the assault on his then-girlfriend and told Roberts that it was all “in the past.” And what better way to show growth as a person than by violently acting out Jersey-Shore-Ronnie style? (Cut to his publicist preparing to commit suicide.)

After Chris finished breaking windows with chairs and whatnot (and let’s be honest — who DOESN’T do that after being grilled by the famously intimidating Robin Roberts), he then tweeted, â€œIâ€™m so over people bringing this past s**t up!!! Yet we praise Charlie sheen and other celebs for there bulls**t.â€

Believe it or not, the singer raises an interesting point. Why does Chris Brown get vilified while Charlie Sheen earns praise? Obviously the situations are different, but they’re also very similar. Is it a race issue? Is it a mental stability issue? If Chris Brown had beaten up a porn star instead of Rihanna, would we care? And does the fact that no one actually takes Charlie Sheen seriously make a difference (as opposed to Chris Brown, who actually does have considerable respect as a musician and dancer)?

Also, who would win in a fight: Chris Brown or the aforementioned Ronnie from Jersey Shore?

To read more about the story, check out the latest details here.

A Night At The Roxbury (And Then Some)

I had it in my mind Friday night that I’d be spending the evening in watching The Soup and catching up on work. And yet somehow I wound up going out and about in Hollywood instead. That’s probably thanks to two of my lady friends, Phamtastic and Ashton, who were hot to trot for some nightlife. Who was I to deny them that?

The three of us headed to Michael Utsinger’s “NYC Invades LA” event at The Roxbury, the iconic ’90s hotspot (and movie namesake) which has been reborn in Hollywood after having been shuttered for over a decade. Some random pictures from the event as well as various embarrassing photos of me dancing after the jump… Continue reading “A Night At The Roxbury (And Then Some)”

REAL HOUSEWIVES PHOTOCAP: Time For A Ho’ Bath

We managed to go a few weeks without seeing big Jim Bellino on The Real Housewives of Orange County, but on the latest episode, the producers trotted him out in all his boorish glory. I had forgotten how repulsive he was, but thanks to an obnoxious weekend trip to San Diego, it was all coming back to me Celine Dion style (ie. I imagined myself trapped in a giant mansion with flowing drapes and ghostly images of Jim Bellino haunting my every moment). Yes, Jim is awful in that old-fashioned, chauvinist way, and what’s worse is that he manages to excuse it all by finding justification in selective Bible references. Actually, what’s truly worse is that Alexis puts up with it.

Then again, for someone like Alexis, it’s easier to blindly hitch her (big bosomed) wagon onto someone else’s ride than focus on the vapidity of her life. With Jim, she’s taken care of. She doesn’t have to think. He makes all her decisions, and she cheerfully goes along with it, investing her energy into him and the kids rather than whatever emptiness has brought her to this place. Naturally, this is conjecture — I’m only reacting to what I see on screen. But what I see is pretty awful. Continue reading “REAL HOUSEWIVES PHOTOCAP: Time For A Ho’ Bath”

THE QUAFF: The Mysterious Stranger

Some things look beautiful but taste average. Some things look nasty but taste really good. And some things look bad and taste worse.

When my friend IndianJones and I endeavored to make The Mysterious Stranger cocktail from Paul Abercrombie’s Organic, Shaken & Stirred cocktail book, we had some serious fears that the cocktail would fall in that last dreaded category. I mean, this was one nasty looking libation. However, Paul Abercrombie had yet to steer us wrong. Even the worst recipes were still pretty solid. Would the Mysterious Stranger be the first true disappointment from Organ, Shaken & Stirred? Or would this beverage be something of an ugly duckling. Results after the jump… Continue reading “THE QUAFF: The Mysterious Stranger”

Happy Hour At Nick & Stef’s in Downtown LA

Recently I enjoyed a media comped Happy Hour experience at esteemed downtown LA steakhouse Nick & Stef’s. I’d never eaten at the trendy establishment, but when I saw a glimpse of the cocktails on display, I was more than intrigued. $5 Moscow Mule? Drop EVERYTHING (although, ironically I didn’t have one).

Anyway, I didn’t get to try any of the steak, but I did sample quite a bit of the Happy Hour menu. Results after the jump… Continue reading “Happy Hour At Nick & Stef’s in Downtown LA”

Gretchen Rossi Tweets The Joke

Makeup maven, handbag designer, comedienne? Yes, add that title to Gretchen Rossi’s growing roster of professional endeavors. The star of Real Housewives of Orange County is this week’s Tweet The Joke celebrity host, which means that she’ll be tweeting out jokes through Friday. Well, she’ll sort of be tweeting out jokes. She actually just tweets out the setup, and then we have to come up with the punchline. For example, today Gretchen wrote “What do you call a gay dinosaur?” I, of course, submitted my own witty response (“Duh-wight.” You know, from Real Housewives of Atlanta? Because he’s old and gay? Get it? GET IT???).

Anyway, I’m not sure if submitting jokes means that Gretchen will actually interface with you, but it’s worth a shot, especially if you want some BeautÃ© tips.