Once again, it is time for me to call upon my legion of readers to mobilize for the greater good of mankind. My old friend jash has entered into a contest and desperately needs your help in order to procure success. Here are the details: jash submitted to Food2’s “Party App-titude Challenge” which invites users to send in their very own original appetizer recipe. Winners receive “a trip for 2 to New York for a tour of Food Network Kitchens, a year of Food Network Magazine and a chance to dine with Kelsey & Spike Cook star, Kelsey Nixon.” Sounds pretty sweet.
But alas, poor jash needs some backup. His lovely entry, Crostini with Onion Compote & Brie, does not have the necessary votes to catapult him to the top. We must change this — especially since jash’s appetizer hails from a decidedly Ina Garten tradition of sophistication and refinement (as opposed to much of his competition, which speaks regrettably to a more Sandra Lee palate, if you know what I’m saying).
Anyway, to help jash attain the brass ring of Food2 glory, visit his entry here and cast your vote (the higher the rating, the better). I’m sure he would thank you for your time, despite being a noteworthy curmudgeon.
JERSEY SHORE PHOTOCAP: Move Over Masterpiece Theatre…
Jersey Shore has arrived, and it’s just as awful as you’d expect… and of course I’ll be watching every moment of it. It’s full of the “guido” and “guidette” stereotypes you’d expect, and what’s most surprising is that all the cast members seem to be shockingly self-aware of the image they’re participating in and purveying. It’s sort of sad, but then again, that might just be my elitist bias at work. Nevertheless, for the uninitiated, the series takes eight twentysomethings of Italian descent and sticks them in a nasty, wood-paneled house on the Jersey Shore. This ain’t no Real World experience. There might be a few nice amenities (hot tub on the roof), but overall, I wouldn’t call this Grade-A MTV lodging. Nevertheless, this hapless group of four guys and four dolls have apparently been sent to this shabby hovel to spend a summer on the Shore working at one of those awful t-shirt shops that populate every boardwalk in America. Horizon-broadening experience this is not.
That being said, there’s something horrifying yet watchable about these “yooots.” For anyone who has spent more than five minutes watching Jersey Shore videos on Youtube, this is cultural rubbernecking at its best (and worst). And yet, it’s oddly refreshing to watch this group. We’ve become quietly trained to expect only middle class kids on reality TV (ie. The Real World); so it’s nice to see some mooks from different segments of the population getting their time in the spotlight. My only wish was that a) some of these cast members had anything interesting to say for themselves, and b) the production of this show wasn’t so shoddy. It truly makes one pine for the glossy sheen of my former employer, Bunim-Murray. Say what you will about The Real World and its spin-offs, but the production on those shows is top notch. Jersey Shore, meanwhile, looks like half of it was shot with a Flip Cam. Not good.
Anyway, after the jump is a photocap from the (TWO HOUR?!?!? WTF, MTV?) season premiere.
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ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Chocolate Layer Cake Edition
It was all cold and rainy in LA on Monday, and for whatever reason, this spurred on an insatiable craving for chocolate cake — one that I could not quell, no matter how hard I tried. Making matters worse was that Mark Bittman had just written a piece about chocolate layer cake, and if that wasn’t bad enough, I had just recently seen an episode of Ask Aida wherein Aida Mollenkamp baked a chocolate cake with a frosting made out of PUDDING. Add to that a scene in It’s Complicated featuring Meryl Streep and an amazing slice of chocolate cake, and I decided enough was enough. I was going to make a chocolate cake, dammit, and when I paused to reconsider, I realized that despite a lovely trip to Disneyland and a rowdy time with my friends over the weekend, I had never gotten around to having any actual birthday cake. WELL THEN. What better reason to attempt my very first layer cake? And so the plan was put into motion. I would be making cake.
The results after the jump…
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"Eat My Blog" Charity Bake Sale a Rousing Success!
Last week I posted something about “Eat My Blog,” which was a charity bake sale put on by a bunch of bloggers in the Los Angeles area. I’m proud to report that according to organizer Cathy Danh from gas•tron•o•my, the event raised over $3,000! That’s kind of insane. I didn’t think bake sales could even raise a fraction of that, but I suppose one should never underestimate the power of sugary baked goods. Nevertheless, the event was such a hit that there are already tentative plans for a second one in a few months. Will keep you all updated…
After the jump, a few pics from the bake sale.
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B-Side Blog Goes To Disneyland!
This year, Disneyland has been running a promotion allowing people to visit the theme park for free on their birthdays. It just so happens that I turned a year older last week; so I happily took advantage of this offer and headed down to Anaheim for a day of whimsy and make-believe (which is not unlike my normal afternoon). Joining me on this adventure was Lil Grans and none other than IndianJones, who was back in the ‘hood for the weekend. Jash and Sly were also hoping to make the trip as well, but work obligations kept them away from the Happiest Place on Earth (or “the happiest place in the world,” as IndianJones mistakenly called it).
After the jump, some photos from our day at Disney.
STALKER REPORT: Celebrity Apprentice Edition
Coming to you from the same person who successfully stalked Erin Kaplan of The City comes yet another batch of celebrity sightings — this time with pictures.
Writes the stalker:
Here are some photos from a few weeks ago when I came out of the subway and stumbled across an amazing sighting.
I figured Blago and the other Celebrity Apprentice people wouldn’t mind if I took pictures. In fact, Bret Michaels was even taking photos of people taking photos!
Erin seems like less of an fame whore so I left her alone.
Behold some pictures from the latest edition of Celebrity Apprentice after the jump.
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"EAT MY BLOG" Charity Bake Sale Descends On Hollywood This Weekend
To anyone living in Los Angeles — especially the Hollywood / West Hollywood area — check this out. On Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM, a blogger bake sale will be going down at Zeke’s Smokehouse on Santa Monica Blvd. Yours truly will be participating, as will a host of other bloggers such as Lisa Timmons from lisatimmons.com, Cathy from gas•tron•o•my, and Diana from Diana Takes A Bite. Also, word has it that bloggers from the LA Times and LA Weekly will be present as well.
There will be plenty of delicious items to buy (I’m contributing blondies), and all proceeds go to the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank. Please come by and support a great cause! At the very least, you can meet some bloggers, and who wouldn’t want to do that?
WHERE:
Zeke’s Smokehouse:
7100 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90046
WHEN:
December 5th, 10 AM to 5 PM
A full list of participating bloggers after the jump.
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Further Adventures From Thanksgiving Weekend
As promised — albeit a day late — here are some more photos from Thanksgiving weekend. There’s not much of a narrative flow as I opted not to photograph every single moment, but the pics were amusing; so here they are. Be warned: there’s an excessive amount of IndianJones on display.
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Cat Magnets Provide Delightful Afternoon Fun
A most welcome surprise came for me this afternoon: a friend of mine sent me an early, unexpected birthday gift. But this wasn’t any ordinary gift. It was Dress-Up Cat Magnets. And yes, it’s exactly as it sounds.
In honor of these new magnets, I decided to craft several cats in the likeness of their B-Side Blog counterparts. The results after the jump…
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ADVENTURES IN AMERICA: Snapshots from a Thanksgiving Road Trip
Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and while we all ponder ways in which we’ll be exercising off the copious amounts of calories ingested over the weekend, I’ve decided to relive the glorious memories from the past week. Actually, I’m just posting photos. I headed up to San Francisco this year on a mini-road trip where I met up with none other than IndianJones (who provided my lodging) and J-Unit. Jash was supposed to join, but he was sidelined by a particularly vicious bout of food poisoning that left him bedridden and clammy. It’s probably for the best. As jash is American Indian, I would have heard nothing but squawking about retribution and maize all weekend long. Nevertheless, after the jump, check out various random photos from the exciting drive up.
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