The Soup covers Kathy Hilton's response to McCain

Now I'm not a political analyst, but when your candidate for president is wrong and Kathy Hilton is right....
Joel McHale

I wish I'd found this when the McCain's Britney/Paris add was still running, but this clip still cracks me up...

Reel 13 Shorts

Brevity is a great charm of eloquence.
Marcus Tullius Cicero

Last Saturday Sharon and I ended up watching A Letter to Three Wives, which we thouroughly enjoyed. It was on the NYC public television channel, WNET/Thirteen. Their program Reel 13 presents a classic film, a short film, and an indie film each Saturday night. We stayed up to watch the short film, Thirsty, and we weren't disappointed. It was clever with a nice little surprise at the end.

The neat thing about the short films is that you get vote for your favorite. They post three films online each week, then broadcast the top pick. They're still there, so check them out. The three shorts were titled Wrigley, Little Pumkin, and Thirsty, which won. Little Pumkin was fine, but I thought Thirsty was definitely better. But I really like Wrigley, too, and it would have been hard to hard to decide which I like more.

P.S. Fans of Homicide: Life on the Street will notice a familiar face in Wrigley.

Celery and all!

I'm definitely not the man I was... thank goodness!

The Doctor

Rob reports that one of my favorite Doctors (and his celery) will be back!

Bourdainalyzing Top Chef

First rule of Chef's Club is:
Shit Happens.
Anthony Bourdain

I think I've blogged about all of Bourdain's blog posts on Bravo. It's hard not to, and this week's was the perfect analysis of an untimely departure. One of the top contenders crashed and burned in a really big way. No doubt there is plenty of viewer anger, but Bourdain provides a compelling defense of the decision. He also serves up his usual scathing critiques of the various cheftestents.

So this is the level I've descended to: blogging about reality TV. Actually, blogging about reality TV bloggers. Top Chef and astronomy. Is that all I'm good for? We'll see....

Bravo Bourdain

Colicchio, leave the Bourdaining to the master.
Stephanie Vander Weide
a.k.a. Keckler

Bravo decided Bourdain's stand-in blogging for Colicchio was so good, he needed a blog of his own. The combination of his blog and Keckler's TVwoP recaps might be better than the show itself.

No party

It's going to be a trap. It's not going to be a party... at all. It‘s never a fucking party.
Jeffrey Sebelia
Project Runway Season 3 winner

Comments to my last Top Chef post included Rob's opinion that Top Chef is more civilized than Hell's Kitchen. That may be, but last night they were pretty damned evil. The cheftestants are told they'll be getting a night out at a hot Miami club. They spend time getting dressed up, then hop in the awaiting limo that takes them to... an elimination challenge. Cook outside in catering wagons, and serve food to clubgoers after closing time.

Had they Jeffrey Sebelia's wisdom, they'd have known this was coming. As it is, they are stunned. What's worse, in a move reminiscent of POW camp mind games, the Quickfire winner is whisked away in the limo for a one-on-one dinner with guest judge Govind Armstrong at one of his restaurants. Even the nicest of those remaining confess hatred of their fellow cheftestant for this lucky break.

Ah well, what did they expect? After all, it's reality TV. It's never a party.

Bourdain in for Colicchio

The ability to make a brilliant, creatively-dazzling and delicious plate of food is near worthless if you can’t do it again and again--exactly the same way--at high speed, under the gun, hung over, after a night of fierce Negroni drinking...while listening to Mexican thrash metal.
Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain is guest blogging for on Tom Colicchio's "Top Chef" blog. There are two posts so far. Classic Bourdain, but you'll probably need to have seen the show for context.

P.S. I have to admit, I didn't know what a Negroni was before I looked it up.

Meat Cake!

Kick ass!
Eric Cartman

Sharon's Food Blog posted a link to the Television Without Pity recaps of Top Chef.^* Yesterday I was there reading the recap of Season 3 Episode 3. Meatloaf played an important role in the episode, and Keckler included a most wonderful link in her recap. What link?

Two words: MEAT CAKE. Check it out.

* BTW, I take credit (or responsibility) for sending her there.

So-called reality

This isn't reality. This is hell!
Andrew
Bravo was consulted on some elimination decisions.
Top Chef credits

Two weeks (or three blog posts) back, I confessed that I'd been sucked into Bravo's Top Chef, a reality show that can be summed up as "The Apprentice" with chefs. Last night was part one of the big finale. It began with the three finalists arriving in Las Vegas for the final showdown. At the end of the hour, only two remained.

The oft-discussed problem with reality shows is that they are not real. Although the contestents and even the judges are real people, it's still a TV show whose goal is to entertain. Even the decision of who get eliminated is as much a question of drama as of fairness. I should, therefore, not be surprised of the three finalists, the one we all despise did not get eliminated. A final battle between two friends has nowhere near the drama that a battle between two bitter foes, especially when one is the clearly established villian.

But I'm still pissed! That chef deserved to go down! None of their dishes were the favorite. The other chef was eliminated mainly because they made only two of the requisite three dishes in the final round. Even though both of those dishes were well liked, the penalty for one missing dish was worse than for several dishes no one liked. How lame is that? The worst thing a chef can do is serve bad food. To make matters worse, once the the chef was all smug, as if they didn't just get a total pass. Man, I want to be there next week to see that chef go down.

Which is, of course, exactly what Bravo wants.

A Guilty Pleasure

Short is the joy that guilty pleasure brings.
Euripides
Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.
John Lennon

I admit it. I have been sucked in by the reality show Top Chef on Bravo. For those unfamiliar with the show, it's the same formula as Apprentice, done with chefs instead. Each week there are challanges, each week some gets sent home. Instead of, "You're fired!" they say, "Pack your knives and leave."

I have, in general, shown disdain for reality TV. I never watched Survivor, The Apprentice, or any of the other lesser shows whose names of which I can't even think of. But now I'm hooked. I want to see what ridiculous challange they give them. I want to see who goes down in flames. There are the chefs I want to see succeed and the one I wanted so badly to see get booted (and it was oh so satifying when they finally did).

I suppose the subject matter (food) brought me in initially. I love Food TV shows like Iron Chef, after all, so why not? But Iron Chef this ain't. It's pure "reality" TV. There is the requisite footage of contestents sniping and trash-talking. There is the overdramatic judging segments where the contestents get beat up by their "mentors." There is the annoying comercial break right before the final decision (okay, Iron Chef has that, but it's not the same). In short, it's Apprentice with knives and Chef's Whites.

Still, I keep watching. Call it a guilty pleasure.

Ookla the Mok

The year: 1994. From out of space comes a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction! Man's civilization is cast in ruin!
Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn. A strange new world rises from the old: a world of savagery, super science, and sorcery. But one man bursts his bonds to fight for justice! With his companions Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel, he pits his strength, his courage, and his fabulous Sunsword against the forces of evil.
He is Thundarr, the Barbarian!
Openning narration from Thundarr the Barbarian

Several years ago I was at a friends holiday party playing Celebrities. For those who are unfamiliar, it is a game where everyone writes down names of celebrities on slips of paper which are then drawn at random by teams of two, with one player giving hints so that the other says the celebrity's name. The celebrity can be anyone famous, real of fictional.

One celebrity that showed up was Ookla the Mok. Do you know who that is? Ookla was the traveling companion of Thundarr the Barbarian, an early-80s Saturday morning sci-fi cartoon. The show ran only two seasons, and was one of my favorites. The Ookla entry wasn't mine, though I was one of only two people that even knew who Ookla was. There was some question as to whether he was really a celebrity.

Well, the guys at HomestarRunner.com know who Ookla is. Check out this year's Halloween Toon. Each year, the characters costumes are a collection pop-culture references, famous and obscure. And Ookla is there.

The Voice of Comet

From now on, we won't let Rudolph join in any reindeer games.
Coach Comet in
Rudolf, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Don Adams died yesterday at the age of 81. We remember him, of course, as Maxwell Smart. You might not know that he was also the voice of Coach Comet in the Rankin/Bass production of Rudolf, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. He is listed in this role on IMDB, though he was not credited.

It seems people have been wondering if he is indeed the voice of Comet, as search criteria like '"Don Adams" Rudolph Comet' are topping the list of search terms reported by BlogPatrol, leading people to my earlier post about the program.

One thing I didn't know about Don Adams was that he was a Marine in WWII who fought in Guadalcanal and survived deadly blackwater fever. When he returned to the States, he became a drill instructor. Now that would have been something worth seeing.

Good news from WHYY

Da Mayor: Doctor...
Mookie: C'mon, what. What?
Da Mayor: Always do the right thing.
Mookie: That's it?
Da Mayor: That's it.
Mookie: I got it, I'm gone.
-Do the Right Thing

We got this from WHYY yesterday. Hopefully other PBS stations are sending similar letters.

Dear [...]:

Thank you for your letter and sharing your concerns about Postcards from Buster. Our President and CEO William J. Marrazzo asked me to respond to you, because he is out of town.

As you probably know by now, WFIYY will broadcast the “Sugartime” episode of the children’s series Postcards from Buster on Wednesday, February 2, 2005 at 3:30 PM.

Postcards from Buster is part of WHYY’s Children’s Service, which aims to promote literacy and provide a safe and trusted learning environment for families.

“Sugartime” is in keeping with the other Postcards episodes, whose primary focus is on regional and cultural traditions throughout the United States. In the Postcards series, which features the cartoon character Buster, local families are often the backdrop for the stories. “Sugartime” focuses on maple sugaring in Vermont and includes as part of the background children from two families with two mothers.

The series, which is produced by WGBH in Boston and Cookie Jar Entertainment, Inc. in association with Marc Brown Studios, has two main educational goals: to help kids understand and appreciate the rich and varied cultures that make up the United States, and to support the language skills of elementary school-age children for whom English is a second language.

The Postcards series has visited young people from many ethnic backgrounds, has explored the role of religion in their lives, and has visited kids living in a variety of settings and cities, suburbs and the country.

WHYY’s Children’s Service provides parents with the tools they need to help children develop skills to explore the world around them. Using TV, FM, the Web, and community events, WHYY is the one thing a diverse community has in common, connecting each-of us to the world’s richest ideas and all of us to each other.

Sincerely,

Nessa Forman
Vice President for Corporate Communications

Education Secretary vs. Buster

The price of the democratic way of life is a growing appreciation of people's differences, not merely as tolerable, but as the essence of a rich and rewarding human experience.
-Jerome Nathanson

For her first act as the new Education Secretary, Margaret Spellings chose to condem PBS and the WGBH produced childrens show "Postcards from Buster."

As I have two children, I am familiar with the show, a spin-off from Marc Brown's "Arthur." Buster is Arthur's best friend who sometimes travels with his father, an airline pilot. "Postcards from Buster" has Buster traveling around the world learning about people and places. One episode I remember had him in the Seattle fish market where they throw the fish around. It's a good show.

The new season features an episode entitled "Sugartime!" Here is the synopsis:

Determined to avoid last year's Mother's Day fiasco, Buster sets out to find Bitzi the perfect gifts. Buster finds them with help from Emma and Lily: cheese from a dairy and maple candy from a sugar shack. Before leaving town, Buster says goodbye to winter and hello to spring with the girls' families at their annual Christmas tree bonfire.

So, why is Spellings up in arms? The family Buster visits has two moms. At one point, you see one mom saying "Hi," to the other, who is making out the grocery list. Later we see them having a meal together with some friends.

Here is the story about Spellings' letter to PBS. The letter is pretty chilling, and wraps up with this:

You can be assured that in the future the department will be more clear as to its expectations for any future programming that it funds.

Now it is worth noting "Postcards From Buster" has featured all kinds of families. It has shown children living with their grandparents and children who are Muslim, Mormon, and evangelical Christian. Nonetheless, PBS will not be distributing this episode to its stations, and WGBH has postponed airing of the episode.

I have written the following to my PBS station, WHYY:

To whom it may concern,

I am a member of WHYY and have been for many years now. My family enjoys and is enriched by the programs you air. These programs have helped my two children learn about math, science, reading, and history. They have also learned about the diverse cultures in our nation and our world. This is why I am writing this letter.

As a member of WHYY, I am asking you to air the "Sugartime" episode of "Postcards from Buster." I understand there is controversy surrounding this episode. However, PBS programming has always helped inform children, dealing openly such issues as single parenthood, divorce, the death of a loved one, and AIDS. I firmly believe we would do a disservice to our children to pretend this lifestyle does not exists.

I hope you can give this issue the serious consideration it deserves.

Yours truly,
Andrew [...]

I hope you'll consider sending something similar to your PBS station.

The King of Jing-a-ling

Charlie-In-The Box: I am the official sentry of the Isle of Misfit toys. My name is...
Rudolph: Don't tell me: Jack.
Charlie-In-The Box: No, Charlie. That's why I'm a misfit toy. My name is all wrong. No child wants to play with a Charlie-In-The-Box so I had to come here.
-Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

For the record, the kids are watching the Misfit Toys song arguing over which toys they want.

Have you ever noticed what an jerk Santa is in the Rankin/Bass Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? Consider the following:

• He tells Donner that he Rudolph's nose had better stop glowing, or he wouldn't be able to pull the sleigh
• He tells Donner how disappointed he is when Rudolph's nose is uncovered.
• The elves sing the new song they've been working on and Santa's only response is that it "need's work."
• When telling Rudolph that Donner, Rudolph's mom, and Clarice are missing, Santa is very worried, but not about their welfare, mind you. No, he's worried that without Donner he won't be able to drive his sleigh.

Now that's a bad Santa.



P.S. How'd they get my dad to do Comet's voice? (Actually, it was Don Adams.)
P.P.S. If you haven't seen Mad TV's Raging Rudolph, you need to.

Bill O’Reilly's viewers are actually less educated than Stewart's

Now I know that's shocking, but according to Nielsen Media Research, it's true. Read all about how Bill O'Reilly gets to eat his words.