ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Mapo Tofu

With the premiere of Big Brother last night, I wanted to cook myself a dinner that would honor the show in some way. I ultimately settled on a much lauded dish from Fuchsia Dunlop’s Sichuan cookbook Land of Plenty. The recipe in question: Ma Po Do Fu, or Mapo Tofu as it’s commonly known in …

Julie Chen Gives Tour of the New House!

It’s Big Brother season!! First we met the House Guests, and now we have a house tour, courtesy of the inimitable, wonderful, and khaki-tastic Julie Chen, who appears looser and funnier than ever before. It’s like she’s a newer, more dangerous model of her Chenbot self. The T-1000 to the original Terminator. Dare I say …

BIG BROTHER FINALE PHOTOCAP: And Now It’s Over

At long last, the twelfth season of Big Brother came to a close last night, ending one of the most lackluster installments in the franchise’s history. The good news was that despite this group’s generally blasé approach toward the game, the finale proved to be very entertaining and even had a few nail biting moments. …

BIG BROTHER PHOTOCAP: Double The Eviction, Half The Drama!

Well, it was the annual “Fast Forward” edition of Big Brother last night, which crammed one week of gameplay into a single, scant hour. I always enjoy these episodes, even if it means that at least one person gets something of a raw deal. Last night’s was no different; however, while the competitions were fun …

BIG BROTHER PHOTOCAP: Diamond Veto Causes Mild Excitement

Leading up to last night’s episode of Big Brother, there was plenty of drama: Rachel returned to the house, Rachel galvanized the house, and Rachel left the house. In the middle of all that, Ragan won the veto and managed to save himself, but at the risk of his NOT-ally Matt, who wound up on …

BIG BROTHER PHOTOCAP: The Fall of Brenchel

For weeks they annoyed us, and sadly for weeks they provided the only entertainment in the Big Brother house. Now, at last, the two-headed monster that was Brendon and Rachel has been broken up, but not without one final surge of drama. As promised, Brendon attempted to shift the target onto himself by attacking people …

BIG BROTHER PHOTOCAP: Breaking Up The Family

Big Brother bid adieu to another cast member last night, but the real story wasn’t whether or not Kristen or Hayden were going home but rather that the Chenbot had her first major fashion idiosyncrasy of the season (if we ignore her peculiar demi-pantsuit from the first week). Yes, Julie Chen came to us in …

BIG BROTHER PHOTOCAP: Well, That Was Fun

Things don’t always go as planned on Big Brother, and for those who fear the show features way too much producer meddling, take last night’s eviction episode as an example to the contrary. Annie and Rachel were on the block, and SPOILER ALERT: one of them was the Saboteur. Needless to say, CBS could not …

BIG BROTHER PHOTOCAP: Summer of Sabotage Is Upon Us!

It’s baaaaaaacck! Big Brother has returned to the airwaves, and I can now officially kiss my social life goodbye because for the rest of the summer, I will be hopelessly devoted to the show in the worst possible way. In fact, the ridiculous fanaticism has already begun. Last night I gathered with my Big Brother …