Daily Loaf

On this week’s episode of Top Chef Las Vegas we’re down to the Final Five: Hot Bro (Bryan), Angry Bro (Mike), Redbeard (Kevin), Eli “Bonaduce”, and Ceveech (Jen). (Even though I finally learned their real names a few weeks ago, I still like to refer to them as the nicknames we made up for them in our podcast. Deal.)

If you saw the sneak peek of this episode then you already know that this week’s guest judge is none other than American culinary deity Thomas Keller. (If you don’t know who he is, you might want to look him up before watching this episode and then beat yourself up for not being a devoted enough foodie.) It looked as if even the V Brothers were sweating when they learned that Keller would be gracing them with his presence. Surprisingly enough, Ceveech looks a heck of a lot better this week – she even laughs! Should we credit Valium or is she smokin’ the good stuff?

In the preview videos below, we get a peek at tonight’s Quickfire and Elimination Challenges. For their Quickfire, the chefs have 90 minutes to create a ballotine. Yes, I even had to crack open one of my old textbooks to look this one up. (It turns out, the chefs were actually mispronouncing the word.) According to Epicurious’ Food Dictionary, a ballotine (bal-lo-TEEN) is “Meat, fish or fowl that has been boned, stuffed, rolled and tied in the shape of a bundle. It is then braised or roasted and is normally served hot but can be served cold. Often confused with galantine, which is poached and served cold.” As Ceveech put it, it’s a “protein in a protein in a protein”. Or, as I like to think of it, a protein explosion. I like that Ceveech decided, “To hell with all this fancy schmancy gourmet crap!” and went renegade, Paula Deen-style, by making a Turducken.

For the Elimination Challenge, I’m still not quite sure of the actual challenge. It looks in one shot as though they’re making a ton of amuse bouches. In the video below, it seems that Angry Bro and Ceveech are both cooking with the same protein. All I know for sure is Thomas Keller is finally guest judging, which is enough to get me to watch.

In the video below, there is some major foreshadowing going on: Ceveech’s risky salmon dish; Hot Bro is attempting a 10-hour braise in 4 hours and remarks, “I hope that it doesn’t get me in the end.” (*cough*Thatswhatshesaid*cough*); and Redbeard is actually going out on a limb and attempting something he’s never done before, saying it is “one of the edgiest ones [challenges] for me to try and do something that I never do.” (Um, isn’t that no-no number one in Top Chef and has been the downfall of so many cheftestants?) Could a heavy-hitter (someone other than Eli) end up going home tonight? Watch what happens!

Tune in to Bravo tonight at 10 pm EST/9 pm C, check out our own live Tweets during the show (Jeff: @TheStew, Katie: @culinarypirate), and listen to our podcast here tomorrow! (You can now download on iTunes and check out Jeff’s Top Chef Flickr page.)

See videos after the break:
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Mystery and intrigue were dripping from the alien’s mothership in the third episode of ABC TV’s V reboot. Well, not literally, but follow me: Last week’s episode had an overall them of “you can’t trust anyone.” This week’s installment not only continued that theme, but offered some surprising examples of it in action.

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When you think about Marvel Comics, chances are you think about Spider-Man. The Hulk. Captain America. Iron Man. The X-Men.

But there have been just as many X-Women as -Men.

More of Marvel’s characters have called themselves Spider-Woman than Spider-Man, including the figurehead of last summer’s mega-crossover Secret Invasion.

She-Hulk was Marvel Chairman Emeritus Stan Lee’s final Marvel creation. A simple origin, but a lasting character.

Even so, Jennifer Walters — the cousin of Bruce Banner, The Hulk, has yet to smash her way to the big screen, in either an Ang Lee-adapted mess or much-deserved, subsequent relaunch several years later. And the only Spider-Woman your average person may recognize is a fat kid dressed as Spider-Man for Halloween. (I’m allowed to say that. It was me. They weren’t boobs, they were buds.)

Wolverine became the first X-Men spin-off, beating Phoenix, Rogue or Storm. (Sorry, Halle.) And the only Marvel film with a female at the lead, Elektra, managed to do worse than its predecessor, Daredevil.

Why? Because comic books, and therefore their mainstream adaptations, tend to lend themselves more to the Y chromosome than the X.

But X has always been a key component to the success of Marvel Comics — and in March, coinciding with National Women’s History Month, the company will begin a year-long celebration of the women both on and behind its pages with Marvel Women. Read the rest of this entry »

Okesene Tilo, co-founder and co-owner of Square One Creative, Tampa, celebrated his 30th birthday in a whirl of art and costume last Saturday at Square One’s latest major event, Magnum Opus. The theme of the event was creation and self-preservation, linking the disparity of support in the arts community with that of the environment, with a call-to-arms in the names of both. Guests were encouraged to wear green and white in keeping with the theme. Square One operates out of The RITZ Ybor.

More than 80 local artists were featured at the event, along with live performances by local musician Jeremy Gloff, Kinetic Dance Group featuring Square One’s own Jason Moriarty, and HEMISPHERE Dance, among others.

Okesene (”Okie”) Tilo estimates that, “About 2,000 people were in attendance on Saturday.” This is corroborated by yours truly, who had a difficult time finding the bathroom for all the people standing in the way on more than one occasion.

Check out my photo review after the break: Read the rest of this entry »

With this weekend’s release of Twilight: New Moon, the superfans’ ravenous appetite for handsomely brooding bloodhounds will be temporarily satiated. But it won’t be long before they’re craving more, more, more! So what better way to suck up than the ultimate vampire gift-pack: a New Moon reusable, aluminum water bottle (BPA-free!), two different New Moon T-shirts, a New Moon poster (size 11 1/2” x 17”), a set of New Moon Commemorative Cards, and the two-disc Special Edition DVD of the original Twilight movie. And in case that still doesn’t quiet your bloodlust (particularly the lust part), we’re throwing in the Complete First Season DVD of HBO’s red-hot series True Blood.

Current Bid: $20

Place your bid below:

Hot on the heels of her appearance in Jobsite Theater’s And Baby Makes Seven, recent Tampa Bay area transplant Jessica Rothert slips into Stageworks’ production of Bad Dates, which previews tonight at the Shimberg Playhouse. Theresa Rebeck’s one-woman show, which premiered Off Broadway in 2003, is about Haley Walker, a Texas transplant living in Manhattan with her teenage daughter. And lots of shoes. Six hundred, in fact. Having found a measure of success in the big city as a restaurateur, single Haley is ready to dip her feet and their fashionable footwear back into the dating pool. From her bedroom, Haley addresses the audience as she prepares for or reacts to her titular encounters with the opposite sex. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Nothing says holiday cheer like spending time with the author of In Cold Blood (about the brutal murder of an entire family) and Breakfast At Tiffany’s (about a high-class hooker). But sometimes, Christmas traditions are re-imagined — like in A Truman Capote Christmas, which opens next week at American Stage.

This is the autobiographical story of the author’s childhood in which he is sent from his comfortable, familiar home to live with the father he has never met. Along the way, Capote (pictured left, with his father) discovers the truth about his past, his father and Santa Claus. Not From Texas acoustic band accompanies the show. Nov. 23-30, 7:30 p.m. Sun.-Mon., 8 p.m. Weds. and Fri.-Sat., American Stage, 163 Third St. N., St. Petersburg, “pay what you can” admission, americanstage.org. – Franki Weddington

There are two sets of crises in 100 Saints You Should Know, one religious, one sexual. The religious crises are experienced by a priest named Matthew, who’s losing his faith, and a cleaning woman named Theresa, who’s just beginning to gain hers. The sexual crises involve Matthew again – he’s discovering that he’s gay and that he needs physical intimacy – and 16-year-old Garrett, who already knows that he’s gay, but is reluctant to out himself. There are two other important characters — Abby, Theresa’s rule-breaking daughter, and Colleen, Matthew’s dogmatic mother — and then there are the two near-nude dancers who, in Kerry Glamsch’s ambitious staging of the play, punctuate the action with intense slow-motion homoerotic couplings set to music including Gregorian chant.

The ultimate result is mixed: the play is original in its treatment of the ebb and flow of faith, formulaic in its scenes of gay self-actualization, and both spectacular and overly pious — sexually pious! — in its choreography. Still, author Kate Fodor is unafraid to aim for big game (her previous play was about who else, Martin Heidegger and Hannah Arendt), and on several occasions she scores a direct hit. This may not be a totally successful work of theater, but it’s provocative and daring. At the very least, it’ll give you something to talk about. Read the rest of this entry »

“Sometimes it’s after the curtains close the real reckonings come, whether it’s about who we wish we were or who we wish we could be or who we want.” — xoxo Gossip Girl

This week was the one of seriously awkward conversations … I guess that’s what happens when you have a threesome, or if you’re trying to have sex with your ex-hook up’s married cousin, or when your step brotherish comes to a club to take you home from an ecstasy deal with an ambassador.

Although we were all promised a hot and heavy threesome last week not much was delivered, this week we got a little more of a view of the action, through flashbacks of a very cocky (pun intended) Dan, and we learned one very important lesson: don’t ever have a threesome Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. When I became a certified barbecue judge a few years back, I realized that there’s more to the art of smoked meat than most people realize. Luckily, you won’t have to worry about that when you head out to the 7th annual Plant City Pig Jam this weekend.

Instead, you can just cruise the field, sampling championship char from more than 70 barbecue teams, ranging from local yokels to semi-professional ‘cue cooks. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a rare pleasure to indulge in the tradition of High Tea (and by that we do mean afternoon tea, not drug-infused drinks), and today pinkie-lifting tea lovers  can enjoy the tea traditions of four cultures with samplings of drink and cuisine from around the world: cucumber and mint sandwiches, goat cheese and watercress on raisin bread and scones with clotted cream and jam from England; smoked salmon sandwiches, roasted pepper and cream cheese sandwiches and tea cookies from Russia; curried chicken salad in pita, fennel and apple sandwiches and coconut puffs from India; and hummus on flatbread, pistachio baklava and date nut bread from Palestine. Bring your favorite tea cup and a story to share at this elegant oasis from the usual buzz of mid-week activity. Call Anne White at 813-253-7478 to make reservations. Tues., Nov. 17, 2:30 p.m., HCC Dale Mabry, Tampa, $15. Read the rest of this entry »

A weekly bulletin about who’s playing on late night TV; set your TIVOs or DVRs if you’ve got an early bedtime. See a day missing? No musical guest that night…

The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Monday, November 16: Wyclef Jean [pictured] with Cyndi Lauper (No doubt they’ll perform “Slumdog Millionaire” off Wyclef’s new album, From the Hut, To the Projects, To the Mansion.)
Tuesday, November 17: the Script
Wednesday, November 18: Ray Davies
Thursday, November 19: John Mayer
Friday, November 20: Lyle Lovett

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, NBC
Monday, November 16: Carrie Underwood
Tuesday, November 17: 50 Cent
Wednesday, November 18: the Brian Setzer Orchestra
Thursday, November 19: Leona Lewis
Friday, November 20: Bon Jovi Read the rest of this entry »

The Taylors (Swift and Lautner in front of their Barbie Dream House)

*It’s Twilight Series: New Moon week kiddies and we know you are all just as excited as we are, we being me and Franki and that is all, no one else at CL cares even a little….but that isn’t stopping me from telling YOU about the latest and greatest from the makers of Barbie, Ken and Skipper. Here is your first look at the Jacob doll (please hold all ooos, ahhhs, applause and cat calls til the end of this bullet point). You can’t put it in a Barbie bed with your Taylor Swift doll and then bust out that adorable little baby Kelly until it’s released in February, but at the bargain price of $24.95, you should probably pre-order this sculpted piece of plastic ASAP.

*Big news of what is not happening this week: Madonna is NOT going to meet Jesus’ mom. Ok, I am no “religion expert” but isn’t Madonna Jesus’ mom? Does anyone else think this is really effing weird? It’s like some sort of crazy thing that shouldn’t ever be said out loud because it causes my mind grapes to hurt.

*The smartest beauty queen in America, Carrie Prejean, seems to be really into a little homemade porn, but what beauty queen isn’t? She is reported to be in not one, two or even three sex tapes, but eight and that isn’t including the numerous times she “pulled a Vanessa Hudgens” and snapped naked pics of herself using a mirror. I tell you what, this girl is all class. (Kinda SFW pic after the jump)

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Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. This weekend, The Frenzie Theatre company offers Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, an angsty adolescent show that asks what might happen to the Peanuts gang if they ever reached teenagerhood.

When CB’s dog dies of rabies, it causes him to question the existence of an afterlife — but with a burnout for a best friend, a sister who’s gone goth, an ex in the loony bin, and a load of inebriated buddies — he has no one to turn to for enlightenment on his existential questions. When he meets an artsy new friend, the limits of teen turmoil reach maximum levels in this darkly optimistic exploration of drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion and sexual identity. Read the rest of this entry »

Just in time to miss Halloween (thanks, Steve) the master of macabre, Stephen King, visits Sarasota to promote his new novel, Under the Dome, in an on-stage interview with the Sarasota Harold-Tribune’s Susan Rife. The author, who imbues many of his characters with his personal bad habits (think Jack Torrance in The Shining, but minus the attempt to hack up his family), has scared the bejeesus out of millions of fans – I’ve never been back to the circus since reading IT. The first 250 horror-heads in the door also get a voucher to buy a signed copy of Under the Dome, and unsigned copies are also available for purchase. Mon., Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m., 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, $15-$20, vanwezel.org. – Franki Weddington Read the rest of this entry »

Last week we learned that Nintendo President of Japan Satoru Iwata felt the Wii is not in a “healthy” state and with the release of Electronic Art’s earning report yesterday it seems that EA, being the most prolific third party publisher on the Wii, can’t seem to avoid having the same feelings. Although EA is making the most profit with the Wii than any other console, “revenue is well below expectations due to underperformance of the Wii platform,” EA’s John Schappert told a conference call full of investors.

“I think the Wii platform has been a little weaker than we had certainly anticipated. And there is no lack of frustration to be doing that at precisely the time where we have the strongest third-party share,” EA CEO John Riccitiello said. “. . . we are reaching out to Nintendo to find ways to partner to push third-party software harder. I frankly think they need more beats in the year than they get out of a first-party slate to be able to have the Wii software platform perform as well as they would like and we are building the products that I think are the most highly rated on the platform and at this point in time, generating the most revenue of any third party platform.” Read the rest of this entry »

The curtain is closing on college football’s regular season. The top three teams in the nation are all double-digit road favorites (Florida at South Carolina, Alabama at Mississippi State, Texas at Baylor), but they are slowly running out of opportunities to stumble. Nobody expects them to lose but stranger things have happened. The NFL is starting to provide fans with a little separation between the playoff-bound and the also-rans. This Sunday, we’ll witness a key clash between the top two teams in the NFL’s best division as well as two legendary quarterbacks squaring off once again.

(25) West Virginia at (5) Cincinnati – (Friday, 8:00 pm – ESPN – Cincy minus 9)

Cincinnati just might do it. With three games left, they might make it through a perfect season. Pittsburgh might have something to say about that on December 5, but so will Noel Devine and West Virginia this Friday. Devine is second in the Big East in rushing, averaging over 112 yards a game. Zach Collaros has filled in admirably for the injured Tony Pike. Collaros will start but Pike is expected to see some playing time after being out a month. Cincinnati hasn’t lost at home in two years. The last team to beat them there? The Mountaineers.

(10) Iowa at (11) Ohio State – (Saturday, 3:30 pm – ABC – OSU minus 16.5)

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Finally, it’s almost time for Bryant Park! Before we can get back to New York City though, we have to visit the designers in their hometowns and deal with a few surprises along the way.

Carol Hannah moved to the suburbs of NY and is no longer living in her car, which is good.
She is inspired by Duke and the ethereal architecture of the campus. The architecture is evident in her collection and it really is quite beautiful. I am happy with her collection, very Carol Hannah. Tim’s activity with her family is my favorite of this show, making a traditional southern dinner with her adorable family. How cute is Tim in that apron!?!?! Loooove it, I think he has a future on Top Chef, who’s with me?
And then to bring the cuteness meter to an all-time Runway high…Oh my god, did you see her and Tim in the snow holding hands? They are too much, for serious. I want to hold hands with Tim and saunter through the snow. A girl can dream…

Irina is next on the list of home visits and she is living in NYC and shockingly, her dog is just as annoying as she is, fabulous. Her inspiration is Coney Island, which is special and weird and I am not sure if I get it. An then there is fur, ugh, I hate fur…I am not loving this collection. It’s very Real Housewives of New York. In typical NY style, her family time with Tim is at a restaurant and well, it’s a bit dull. Her mom is proud, her dad doesn’t approve, wah wah wah. Let’s allllll feel bad for Irina.

Althea has decided to create her collection in the bustling metropolis/fashion capital of the midwest of Dayton, Ohio. She has also chosen to work in a building with scariest elevator EVER, like Tower of Terror kind of fear flashed across Tim’s face. Oh yeah, we are here to see her collection, not Tim fall through an elevator shaft. So, I like what I’m seeing from Althea, it’s interesting but soooooo much, so much fabric and layering. What an adorable little midwestern family and her cute boyfriend it a Cosby sweater. Awwwww, I really want to see one of these small town girls make it in the big city.

We learn one last tidbit of info before heading off to the big city, Irina is using trademarked images from Coney Island for one of her pieces so she has to change it out. Hmmmmmm, interesting. Who’s stealing now be-otch!! Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Now, onto New York!!!!

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When you strip away all the pomp and circumstance from rock ’n’ roll — the fashion and politics and drugs and groupies and stardom and burnout — what’s usually left is a few simple chords and a tune you can hum. In the 50-plus years since Chuck Berry, Little Richard, etc. created an art form, rock ’n’ roll music has morphed from a powerful expression of freedom and rebellion into a multi-billion-dollar commodity to be packaged and sold by record company soul-suckers that view artists as cattle and the audience as ignorant rabble worthy only of being led around by the nose or dragged to court. It didn’t used to be this way.

The new film Pirate Radio remembers a time when the music was king. Well, OK, the music and a small handful of outlaw DJs floating just off the coast of Britain, pumping their pirate signal to millions of the Queen’s subjects while royally pissing off the authorities in the process. Pirate Radio isn’t a true story, per se, but elements of it are inspired by real events in 1960s Britain, when a legal loophole allowed unlicensed broadcasters to drop anchor within spitting distance of the mainland and thrill the masses with records by The Kinks, The Rolling Stones and The Who.

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Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. As everyone in the world that possesses a television knows, New Moon, the second installment of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Saga is in a theater near you next Fri., Nov. 20. My guess is most fans are going to watch Twilight right before they go see New Moon, just for the thrill of it. However, if they want to do it in the company of other “Twihards” and “Twimoms,” Regal Cinemas University 16 is showing the first film before the opening of the new flick for the Twilight Saga Festival Night. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s hard enough to wrangle a hip group of artists/musicians/designers/models together at the same place and time, but it’s even harder to convince anyone to come see the spectacle. The visionaries at Square One do just that with scenester-crowded, can’t-miss-‘em shindigs — like Saturday’s eco-themed Magnum Opus — that draw party people in droves. More than 75 visual artists display their work (among them CL faves like Bluelucy, Kat Wilson, KLAAREN and Robert Wegmann), Jeremy Gloff hosts his album release party, and dance and fashion shows by Bella Danza, Enigma Dance Kru, Kinetic Dance Group and Wear To The Tear Fashion mean that there’s always something shiny and new to look at onstage. The cherry on top is that this nightlong shindig is completely gratis. Sat., Nov. 14, 7-10 p.m. , The Ritz Ybor, 1503 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, free, squareoneflorida.com. – Franki Weddington

What goes together better than wine and blues? The holy union (which drew more than 30,000 folks downtown last year) gets its due this weekend at Dunedin Wines the Blues, when the Suncoast Blues Society heats things up at Dunedin’s Second Friday Art and Wine Walk and a blues jam takes the stage to accompany the arts and crafts, food and wine vendors. The real party gets started on Saturday, with an all-day jazz and blues jam-session that welcomes Grammy-nom John Lee Hooker, Jr., The Steve Arvey Horn Band, Kathy Jo and The Bluzification Band to the stage. Visit dunedinwinestheblues.info for more info. Nov. 13-14, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Fri., 5-11 p.m. Sat., Downtown Dunedin, free. Read the rest of this entry »

Whoa. That was intense.

If you missed the GoodVibes Production of “You Are More Than You Know: A Celestial Odyssey” (or should I say ODDyssey?) this past weekend at The Studio @620, you really missed…something.

The attempt was noble, I’ll give them that. Their website (www.goodvibesmusic.com) describes the production thusly:

“Have you heard the news? This is not the only Earth, ours is not the only universe, and you are not the only you! Leading scientists now describe ‘the multiverse’ as a collection of universes containing a series of ‘parallel worlds’ where every conceivable version of every Earth event — past, present or future — happens somewhere, and alternate versions of you experience every possible version of your life!

“This special multimedia event presents these concepts in an entertaining format through stunning celestial video images, animation, live music and audience participation. Take a trip with ‘The GoodVibes’ into the mind-bending possibilities of a new millennium awakening to a new wisdom. Explore the far reaches of the multidimensional realities where time and space have no meaning, where everything happens at once, and where the future you dream of already exists!”

OK, so it sounds a little weird, but not so, so, (so) weird, right? It sounds like maybe if you were a little gullible, and went into it thinking you were going to be ‘awakened to a new wisdom,’ and wanted to buy into something a little kooky, you might just get what you paid for.

But wait. You’re about to slip into a parallel world. Read the rest of this entry »

[5]art Gallery continues its mid-week pick-me-up art events with another installment in the Sleep of Reason Cinema Series, which was curated by Brian Taylor and Bradley Valentine with a dream of “providing a contemporary venue for a delirious brand of cinema.” Tonight’s offering is a variety of short movies by Kelly Benjamin, Todd Lynne, Jeffrey Ruble and other local filmmakers, accompanied by live soundtracks by Then and Than and Haves and Thirds, and S2K. Thurs., Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m., Old Santaella Cigar Factory, 1906 N. Armenia Ave, #210 Tampa, five-art.com.

 At the beginning of this episode, we were pleasantly surprised to find Padma and Nigella Lawson in bed (not together, but one can dream) wanting a hot breakfast served to their room from the cheftestants. Eli gave us a great background on Nigella, saying, “She’s like a less French version of Julia Child; she’s kinda legit.” Right, Eli, because Julia Child was definitely from France and Nigella Lawson is from England (very close to France, though- close, but no cigar). I’m even confused on the logic there.

The ladies were presented with some interesting (to be polite) dishes, like HotBro’s (Bryan) vanilla scented seafood medley with a soft egg and Eli’s reuben inspired benedict with Thousand Island hollandaise (I gagged upon hearing that one). As for Ceveech’s (Jen) S.O.S.: I would have thought Nigella would’ve been into that sort of thing; maybe if Jen had arranged it with a bit more care and didn’t just throw it on the plate. But then I guess then it wouldn’t look like shit, which might’ve been what she was going for. Eli took the won and his Quickfire dish will now be featured in the new Top Chef cookbook (as if Top Chef didn’t have enough to sell).

For the Elimination Challenge, the cheftestants each had a different hotel on the Las Vegas Strip to draw inspiration from for their dishes. It seems they all interpreted this challenge differently: some taking it literally with elements that were supposed to remind one of the particular hotel, while others took it more figuratively by pretty much just making whatever they felt like. For example: I don’t understand how Redbeard’s dish said “The Mirage”: was it the hidden spice underneath the salmon? And the fact that HotBro used the aquarium from his hotel (which had nothing to do with the ocean) to model his dish just perplexed me. Are there not rules to this sort of challenge? I guess not because those who took the challenge literally ended up on the bottom this week.

I’ll give it to Ceveech for doing a play on ‘The Sword and the Stone’ element from Excalibur, though her beef was literally like gnawing on a stone. Eli’s Caramel Apple Peanut Soup with Popcorn Raspberry Froth looked like someone vomited after eating too much at the fair. I couldn’t believe he came up with that. Robin’s panna cotta didn’t “quiver like a courtesan’s thigh”, but at least it was edible and non-offensive. We discuss in this podcast the fact the judges have claimed that they judge on a week-by-week basis and don’t look at the chef’s portfolios overall- but we disagree, especially in this case.

Highlights: Drooling over Nigella, the dishes that made us queasy, Hot Bro stalking, and our bets for the finale.

Hear the hilarious podcast after the jump:
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When Fox’s Glee premiered, CL readers (OK, Lily the intern) demanded a goofy podcast talking about the show, the songs and Bruce Springsteen. Now, we make good on this demand:

Click here to listen to 3 Guys and Glee, the Podcast with Kevin Hopp, Rabid Nick Refer and Jimbo.

This week’s episode is entitled “Wheels,” so let’s take a look shall we?

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The new ABC Sci-fi drama V returned for it’s second installment and picked up directly where the first left off. Although it didn’t suffer from similar pacing issues as the pilot, the second episode didn’t exactly expand much into anything worth raving about either. What is very interesting, however, is the drama the prime-time event is causing in our own world, outside of the fictional television setting.

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Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Next week, Ybor City sets the stage for two worthy comedy shows, and neither takes place at the Improv.

Four furry Southeastern funnymakers bring their “Beards of Comedy” tour to New World Brewery to entertain the beer-loving masses with their alternative brand of humor. Each comic – Dave Stone, Andy Sanford, TJ Young and Joe Zimmerman (pictured) – presents a set of his own stand-up and participates in collaborative performances of music, sketch, and improvised comedy with the rest of his comrades. Topics and styles range by comedian; Stone touches on subjects ranging from Facebooking his Pop Tart eating habits to getting warned by his dad about the perverts on “Myspaces” (“Dad, I’m a 30-year-old bearded fat man poking around on Myspace, I think I’m the predator not the prey”), Read the rest of this entry »

Walking out of 2012, the latest disaster epic by Independence Day directer Roland Emmerich, I couldn’t help but feel that the Hollywood Industrial Complex has painted itself into a corner. Make no mistake: 2012 is the disaster movie to end all disaster movies. In the film, almost all of Earth’s continents are destroyed by a combination of massive earthquakes, explosions and huge fireballs that can only be extinguished by massive tsunamis. Cars are flung around like confetti, skyscrapers crumble into dust, and famous landmarks are crushed beneath overturned aircraft carriers. Give credit to Emmerich and his special effects team; 2012 looks terrific. If all you’re looking for is some mindless, high-testosterone action on a Saturday night, I highly recommend this movie.

But for the non-adrenaline junkies in the audience, 2012 suffers from all the same flaws as most of the disaster genre: weak characterizations, preposterous plot and story, and a length (2 hours, 40 minutes) that makes the film ideal for screening on flights to Australia.

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In episode nine of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season ten Roy “Big Country” Nelson defeated Justin Wren via split decision (20-18, 20-18, 19-19) in the first quarter-final bout of the season. Nelson now advances to the semi-finals where he will most likely face one of the other members from Team Rashad.

While Wren seemed to dominated Nelson for most of the first and second round, Nelson went into over-drive at the end of the second round, apparently leaving a favorable impression on the judges. In lieu of calling a draw and adding a third round to the bout, they awarded Nelson the win via split decision, proving once again that judges are only human and certainly not perfect.

Watch the fight video (after the break) and decide for yourself:

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Looking for something green-related to do this weekend? Look no further than our own Green Community Calendar.

Dunedin Green Market- Every Friday; 8 am- 1 pm. The Dunedin Green Market is located in Pioneer Park at the cross streets of Douglas Avenue and Main Street in Downtown Dunedin and runs every Friday.

Tampa Downtown Market- Fridays October-May; 10 am-2 pm. The vision of the Tampa Downtown Market is to provide local residents and businesses of the community with the freshest, highest quality, most nutritious, and most reasonably priced food & gourmet products. The mission of the Tampa Downtown Market is to serve as a community-gathering place where local farmers, producers, and artisans can offer fresh agricultural and related products to generate a sense of local pride and further the economic development of Downtown Tampa. With a strong focus on sustainability, the Tampa Downtown Market intends to provide a vehicle to educate the community on the importance of good health as we create more business opportunities and residential benefits. Located in Lykes Gaslight Square- Tampa St. & Kennedy Blvd., Downtown Tampa.

Ellenton Farmers Market- Saturdays; 8 am – 1 pm. Ellenton Farmers’ Market will be the largest year-round market in florida that specializes in “green” natural, organic and environmentally friendly products that makes for a healthier lifestyle and a better environment. Located just North of the Prime Outlet Mall in Ellenton, Florida (exit 224, Old Exit 43, off I – 75).

St. Pete Saturday Morning Market- Every Saturday; 9 am to 2 pm. Downtown St. Petersburg in the Al Lang Stadium parking lot / 1st Ave. S and 1st St. Open October 3 through May 29.
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Zombies are always hungry — good thing they aren’t real.  Metropolitan Ministries have hungry families and their need is real, so the cast of Jobsite Theater’s Night of the Living Dead is teaming up to help!

All jokes aside (and I can’t take credit for that headline, that’s the work of our resident designer Brian Smallheer), hunger is serious business. For over 35 years, Metropolitan Ministries has helped over 150 families a day get GEDs, find employment and overcome homelessness. Their Backpacks of Hope program helps put the tools kids need in their hands to be successful students. At the holidays they provide food and toys for thousands and thousands of area families.

If you’ve spent much time in Tampa during the holidays, you’ve no doubt seen the large tent on Florida Avenue not that far north of downtown. My wife and I have personally contributed in some fashion every year, and it’s impossible not to be moved by the holiday spirit when you stop in to drop things off.

This year, I have read over and over again how many organizations like MetMin across the country are hurting far worse going into the holiday season than ever before.  The economy is still down, unemployment is still up. All non-profits are taking a hit in this economy. Even Jobsite has had some stressful moments. But not with this show, so let’s face it, when it comes to a hungry actor or a hungry family — the hungry family wins every time.  Metropolitan Ministries is facing a perfect storm: Growing need and diminishing contributions.  Over 8,000 families will need assistance this holiday season, from food to warm clothing, shelter to toys from Santa. Read the rest of this entry »

At this week’s Musical Festival feat. Samuel Adler, the renowned composer (who has written compositions for the Cleveland Orchestra, National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, American Brass Quintet and more) visits Tampa to perform, observe and teach. Three Adler events are open to the public this week: the UT music faculty performs Adler’s chamber music at 7:30 p.m. on Thurs., Nov. 12 in Plant Hall’s Fletcher Lounge; Adler leads an orchestration seminar at 4 p.m. on Fri., Nov. 13 in the Ferman Music Center; and the UT Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Glee Club, and Collegiate Chorale perform Adler’s music at 7:30 p.m. on Fri., Nov. 13 in Fletcher Hall. University of Tampa, Tampa, visit ut.edu for more info, free.

At tonight’s Children’s Home Fundraiser, Chris Markowski, (aka America’s Watchdog on Wall Street) and the Mortgage Banker’s Association of Tampa Bay host this fundraiser for the Children’s Home that includes live and silent auctions, butlered hors d’oeuvres, hand-rolled cigars, an open bar, a carving station and delicious desserts, valeted parking and live entertainment. Visit mbatampabay.org for tickets and info. Thurs., Nov. 12, 6:30-10:30 p.m., Westin Tampa Bay Hotel, Tampa, $50. Read the rest of this entry »

This week has been exciting for movie fans, with the release of three interesting trailers: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the Angelina Jolie spy flick Salt and the Clash of the Titans remake starring Sam Worthington.

Check them out after the jump!

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As most of you have seen from last week’s preview and from the pictures being passed around the ‘net, Padma and Nigella Lawson (popular English cookboook author and TV chef) are in bed together for this week’s Quickfire Challenge. Okay, maybe not in bed together, but in beds that are right next to each other (I’ll leave it up to your imagination as to what’s under those robes though). They’re demanding breakfast in bed from the cheftestants- they want it hot, and they want it now.

From the looks of the preview video below, Eli is attempting some god-awful sounding sauce concoction, Robin makes like eggs and frantically scrambles her way around the kitchen, and AngryBro (Mike) curses up a storm (surprise) and blames Robin for wasting 5 minutes of his precious time.

For the Elimination Challenge, each cheftestant has to cook a dish inspired by one of the big hotels in Las Vegas. It’s great to finally see them do a Las Vegas-themed challenge because I think many of us forgot where they were this season.

In the preview for the Elimination Challenge, we get to see HotBro (Bryan) and AngryBro (Mike) visit the hotels that will serve as the inspiration for their dishes. AngryBro states that he will be paying homage to firefighters (his hotel is New York, New York) with his dish but still “cooking it his way”. I hope that means he’s going to light something on fire – that would surely blow his brother’s creation out of the water (you’ll get the bad pun if you watch the video below).

Tune in to Bravo tonight at 10 pm EST/9 pm C, check out our own live Tweets during the show (Jeff: @TheStew, Katie: @culinarypirate), and listen to our podcast here tomorrow! (You can now download on iTunes and check out Jeff’s Top Chef Flickr page.)

Videos after the break.
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Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Next Monday, and just in time to miss Halloween (thanks, Steve) the master of macabre, Stephen King, visits Sarasota to promote his new novel, Under the Dome, in an on-stage interview with the Sarasota Harold-Tribune’s Susan Rife.

The author, who imbues many of his characters with his personal bad habits (think Jack Torrance in The Shining, but minus the attempt to hack up his family), has scared the bejeesus out of millions of fans – I’ve never been back to the circus since reading IT. The first 250 horror-heads in the door also get a voucher to buy a signed copy of Under the Dome, and unsigned copies are also available for purchase. Mon., Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m., 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, $15-$20, vanwezel.org. – Franki Weddington