The second pie I made for the Cool Whip gift basket contest was a recipe that the readers en mass implored me to make: the chocolate meringue pie. Of all the pies, this was certainly one of the most intriguing, what with its spicy, savory elements adding a bit of surprise to the proceedings. The question, of course, was whether or not it would actually be any good. Needless to say, I can assure you that there was plenty of drama with this bad boy…
Usually we only get one episode per season of Kim Zolciak trying to sing, but thankfully, we got a bonus dose of her “instrument” this week on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Kim reunited with her vocal coach from season one, Jan, and attempted to take on her newest single, “The Ring Didn’t Mean A Thing.” As you can imagine, the results were less than perfect. Whether she was struggling with a low, husky “Whoa-oo-whoa-ooo-whoa” or a loud, caterwauling “WHOA-OO-WHOA-OOO-WHOA!!!” it all sounded awful, which is to say, it sounded amazing. Watching Kim attempt to sing continues to be a gift that never stops giving. It’s just as funny now as it was two years ago, especially since the entire experience is now rooted in passive-aggression, courtesy of Jan and Kandi. The sad part is that I’ve had the dumb song in my head all morning, which is really a testament to Kandi and her team more than anything else. I still truly believe Bravo should have some spin-off show where Kandi takes regular people and turns their creaky voices into radio-friendly, autotuned hits. It’s utterly fascinating watching her polish a turd, let alone a turd in a giant wig.
The contest for the Cool Whip gift basket continues to move forward. Last week, I narrowed the field down to five semi-finalists, and of those five, I selected four finalists (I know, not a major whittling down of contenders). I then spent Thursday and Friday baking pie, culminating in an eight-person tasting Friday night. The race was close, and I can assure you that the final selection was not easy.
Before we get to that though, each pie gets its moment in the spotlight. The first recipe I attempted was Daner’s Turtle Pie. With only a handful of ingredients and three simple steps, it seemed like an ideal way to dip my toes into the proverbial pie waters. Pictures after the jump…
The good people of Newsweek must be a little bored. They compiled a Year-In-Review using custom dolls and a variety of diorama-like backdrops. It’s all sort of bizarre and twisted, but entertaining nonetheless. I particularly like the subtle commentary in Michelle and Barack Obama’s statures.
Love was in the air on this week’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. In an attempt to cheer up the perpetually crestfallen Kim Richards, Lisa decided to play matchmaker and pair the former child star with a tall British chap with a giant head and squinty eyes. We weren’t sure if this coupling would result in sparks, what with Kim being neurotic and her suitor something of a playboy, but lo and behold, the two hit it off. Lisa arranged for them to meet at the lavish home of her friend Mohamed, who volunteered to host a dinner party in Ms. VanderPump’s honor. Everyone arrived dressed to the nines — everyone but Kim, who put on her finest cougar-ware and marched through the gates as a vision of boobs and leopard print. I wouldn’t say that she struck a generally classy note with the look, but luckily for Kim, her skittish mind was able to reconcile her sagging taste-levels by announcing that the outfit was classic “Kim.” Of course, that would be like a clown walking into a black-tie event and then explaining, “I had to wear the giant shoes. It’s just classic ME!”
About two weeks ago, I introduced a contest wherein readers could suggest pie recipes for me to make. Whoever submitted that piqued my interest the most would win an impressive gift basket from Cool Whip that features everything from Williams-Sonoma cookware to marshmallow fluff. Needless to say, the entries flooded in. There were more submissions than I could have ever expected, and the task of singling out just one pie recipe seemed difficult at the best. Plus, there was nothing fun about it for me. Sure, it would be easy for me to simply spend twenty minutes poring through the recipes and whittling the choices down to one, but where’s the joy in that? I knew I’d have to make more than one of these pies. That’s why I’ve decided to change things up a bit: I will now select three finalists, bake all three pies, and then have a tasting.
But of course, limiting to just three pies is a very difficult task. So difficult that I’ve only been able to winnow the group down to five recipes. However, I’m not sure I’m up to making five pies. I must now deliberate whether to take on an extensive pie process or simply cut down the list further. While I do that, check out the semi-finalists after the jump as well as their various pros and cons.
Last weekend I went to a screening of Black Swan with my dear friend Sly, and I gotta admit that I kind of loved the film. The whole movie was an amazing mess: borderline campy, intensely freaky, frequently disgusting, and 100% overwhelming. Its symbolism was obvious, and its scares sometimes manipulative, but by the end, I just sort of surrendered to the beast and cried Uncle. I couldn’t help it. I had been tugged back and forth so viscerally that I found myself feeling both extreme dread and utter exhilaration by the time the credits rolled. I was a mess.
Luckily, I wasn’t in as bad shape as Sly, who spent a good chunk of the movie — perhaps eighty percent — with her hands over her eyes. And when that wasn’t good enough, she grabbed her coat and buried her face in that too. There was also the awful woman behind me, who at one point screamed so loudly, you would have thought someone had stabbed her in the face (wouldn’t have been a bad idea). The point is this: the movie is highly disturbing and features many nasty, bloody scenes. You might never look at a nail file the same way.
Black Swan opens on December 3rd, and if you do wind up seeing it, be sure to check out the flick in a movie theater, ideally one with a strong sound system. The massively intense score — a combination of original work and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake — is most effective when it’s played loudly, the better to pummel you into submission. I mean that in the best possible way, naturally.
Last week, the upscale gastropub Rush Street in Culver City opened its doors to bloggers to sample its fall menu as well as a nifty prix-fixe Thanksgiving menu, and I was lucky enough to be invited. I’d never been to Rush Street — nor had I really ever been to any of the restaurants in Downtown Culver City that had been contributing to the neighborhood’s rejuvenation. Needless to say, I was excited about the opportunity, especially when I found out I could sample whatever I wanted — food, drink, dessert — all for free. The glutton in me nearly passed out from excitement. A modest tour of the food I pigged out on after the jump…
Last night’s episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta was all about medical intrigue. On the one hand, we had Phaedra finally giving birth to her oversized preemie (a.k.a her full term baby), and on the other hand, we had Dr. Tiy-E Muhammad explaining the merits of his alleged doctor title. Needless to say, both scenarios left us raising one eyebrow in the most dubious fashion.
