Daily Loaf

Tomorrow night at 8 p.m. comes round two in the great Saturday night votes on health care reform.  Unlike Nancy Pelosi’s effort, even if Harry Reid wins tomorrow, it still ain’t over.

Florida’s Department of Community Affairs Secretary is sounding mighty upset about the controversial growth management bill S.B. 360 that passed the legislature and was signed by Governor Crist earlier this year.

And the Tampa City Council comes up big in voting solidly to give protections to transgender individuals in their human rights ordinance yesterday.  And we have an update on this story here.

Download the report here.

This week’s episode of Top Chef Las Vegas had three very important elements: kicking off another schmo so we can get to the finale already, it was the last episode in Vegas, and (drumroll, please) Thomas Keller appeared as a guest adjudicator. It sure took for damn long enough to get him to do the show! What, 6 seasons?! I’m glad that Keller finally learned from his famous chef peers, sold out, and jumped on the gravy train that is Top Chef (because who knew who he was before this show, right?).

In their Quickfire Challenge, the chefs were greeted by Gavin Kaysen who competed in the 2007 Bocuse d’Or – the equivalent of the Olympics in the culinary world. He challenged them to a ballotine (bah-lo-TEEN) challenge (not to be confused with the mispronunciation of “ballontine” used almost the entire episode), which is basically a “protein inside a protein inside a protein” – a protein explosion!

Redbeard (Kevin) called the V Brothers “not smart” for trying to do too much in such a short period of time, though they seemed to pull it off, and Redbeard’s dish was then put down as being “too simple”. Angry Bro (Mike) got whiny about not winning (claiming to not have understood the challenge), and Ceveech (Jen) took the win with her sushi-esque calamari/scallop/salmon roll. It’s nice to see this once sassy and confident woman finally get her groove back and get back in the saddle. (Though I definitely think she was on something, be it natural or prescription, this episode – she seemed so much calmer, with a touch of joie de vivre about her.)

The cheftestants had to become culinary Olympians for their Elimination Challenge, as they were to perform in a Bocuse d’Or style challenge. To put it in layman’s terms: They had to cook a kickass dish with extremely intricate “garnishes” in only a few hours for some of the biggest names in the culinary world- Thomas Keller (the giant pictured at right), Daniel Boulud, Jerome Bocuse, and Gavin Kaysen, among other renowned names in food.

I thought that the comments made by Hot Bro (Bryan) about not being sure if he’d finish on time and Kevin saying how he was attempting something he’d never done before was foreshadowing and spelled doom for them. Ceveech, despite some minor issues, seemed pretty comfortable with her dishes (plus, she’d received an extra 30 minutes to cook from her Quickfire win), and Angry Bro seemed overly confident (as per usual) and well prepared because of all the culinary competitions he’d performed in about 10-11 years prior (”Best Teen Chef”?).

During judging, they were all raked against the coals, mostly being chastized for having over- or undercooked dishes. Turns out Angry Bro’s took his artistry too far and overcomplicated his dish, missing the mark, and forgetting to season properly. Even though he didn’t exactly follow the guidelines like the other chefs did (listen to the podcast below to hear our reasoning), Redbeard ended up taking the win, which also included $30k and a spot on the American team for the next Bocuse d’Or. And Eli “Bonaduce” got sent packing (no surprise there).

Highlights: Hate mail, Jeff gives us the 411 on the Bocuse d’Or, comments on the fabulous makeovers as seen in the finale preview, and we surmise our picks for the top three finalists.
 
Bonus: Jeff gives information on an exciting culinary event taking place next month in Orlando where Angry Bro (Mike Voltaggio) will make an appearance, as well as many other big names in the food world. Listen to the podcast for more info.

Hear the hilarious podcast after the jump:
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Some Florida Democrats are blasting state Republicans over their failure to pass legislation this year that would given the state $444 million in stimulus funds for unemployment insurance.  The issue’s relevant again after the tax that businesses will pay for the trust fund is sky-rocketing;

We have a health care bill in the Senate! It’s over 2,000 pages, and will cost only(!) $848 billion.  Best of luck to  you  Harry Reid in shepherding that through;

And the Tampa Bay area has a new online magazine . Learn more here.

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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Yesterday Governor Charlie Crist called for a special session to be held soon – with action to be conducted to impress upon Washington about the state’s sincerity in wanting high-speed rail.  One problem:  Lakeland State Senator Paula Dockery.  She’s been a force for two years now in holding up a plan for rail in Central Florida because of liability concerns with CSX – and she’s still not satisfied;

The editor of a New Jersey Jewish newspaper spoke last night at an event sponsored by the Tampa Jewish Federation.  The topic: The Jewish columnists with the New York Times, and how they shape Jewish public opinion.

And the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, will announce later this week a new wiki for the homeless in Hillsborough County.  Read more here.

We will hopefully have the podcast up soon for your listening enjoyment.

Peter Taylor (of Wood Fired Pizza Wine Bar) and Dan Bavaro (of Pizzaiolo Bavaro) come in to talk about the Tampa Bay pizza scene, which was shocked back into life this year thanks to their two restaurants.

Taylor is a fanatic who wants to make the best pizza in the world, day in and day out, based a conglomeration of different styles and cultures. Bavaro makes his own version of classic Neapolitan pizza. They’re both serious artists who’ve set a new bar for pies in the area. Hear their take on proper pizza, and how they make the best pies in the Bay.

And, if you’re an amateur pizza maker, check out this auction in the CL Holiday Auction Experience, which provides the highest bidder a chance to work dough and tend oven with these two pizza masters, then feed your friends with the pies you create, all to benefit Tampa’s The Children’s Home

Download the podcast here.

We all know how bad the American economy continues to be.  Now new statistics from the Agriculture Department confirm that hunger is at a 14 year high;

Three Hillsborough County based state legislators spoke to the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee last night.  Find out what they had to say;

And Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck will be in Tampa in January.

Also, CL News contributor Kelly Cornelius gives her take on what went down yesterday as a Hillsborough County task force recommended the preservation of Cone Ranch, a hot topic for months in the County.

Download the report here.

Big news in CL’s world.  Former St. Pete Times Publisher Marty Petty has been hired as the CEO of Creative Loafing.

Florida CFO and Democratic candidate for Governor Alex Sink has been criticized by some analysts for being too cautious.   So last night she made news by announcing she’s against Florida’s ban on gay adoptions.
President Obama’s decision to prosecute alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed brought out Rudy Guiliani and other Republicans yesterday on some of the Sunday morning  talk shows yesterday.

And just for fun, we look back yesterday at the day of televised pro football action, including the instant classic in Indianapolis between the Colts and the New England Patriots.

Download the report here.

For your Friday the 13th editions, two people prominently mentioned as possible 2012 GOP Presidential candidates will be visiting Florida in the next few weeks. Minnesota’s Tim Pawlenty tonight, and Sarah Palin later this month.

Some say Charlie Crist could be considered Presidential material (now that he’s married).  But will he even make it to the Senate?  The Tampa Tribune says the Governor is coming off looking weak recently.

And Harry Reid is contemplating taxing wealthy seniors on Medicare to help pay for more low-and-middle income people on the health care issue- but Tampa area Congresswoman Kathy Castor and the AARP says the just passed bill in the House will be extremely beneficial for Florida seniors.

Download
the report here.

 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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• A coalition of progressive groups will hold a news conference in support of Tampa Congresswoman Kathy Castor, as the Democrat continues to say she won’t support a final health care reform bill if restrictions on abortion rights are in it.

•  A new report on the economic conditions of the various states of the union lists the Sunshine State as having a bleak future.

• And in the wake of the Tampa City Council’s unanimous vote last week to add gender identity and protections to its human rights ordinance,  the local religious right is none too pleased.

Download the report here.

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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Earlier this week a group of House Democrats who supported the health care reform bill over the weekend contacted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that they will not vote for a final bill that contains language restricting a woman’s right to choose further than current law.  CL has been informed that among the signatories was Tampa’s Kathy Castor;

Today is Veterans Day, and as activities take place across the country and the Bay area, questions persist about who knew what and when about alleged Fort Hood killer Major Nidal Malik Hasan;

And Pinellas County School Board member Nina Hayden is running for the state senate in a district that encompasses both Hillsborough and Pinellas.  She made just her second campaign appearance on the Hillsborough side last night.

Download the report here.

In today’s report:

• There has been much written about Florida’s legislative leaders in 2010 (Dean Cannon and Mike Haridopolus) being advocates of offshore drilling, and how a repeal of the 1990 ban in Florida is only a matter of time.

Perhaps, but those officials aren’t completely in control right now.  Jeff Atwater is in control of the Florida Senate, and he is in no rush to bring up the issue anytime soon.

• Although Paula Dockery filed paperwork last week declaring her candidacy for governor, the Lakeland Republican makes it official in Lakeland this afternoon.

• And health care. Yes, the House passed a bill over the weekend, but there are a number of critics who favor reform who say the bill does virtually nothing to contain costs.

Download the report here.

Although the U.S. Military is cautioning about making judgments about Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the American-born Muslim suspected of killing 13 and wounding 29 others at Ford Hood last week, Joe Lieberman calls the shooting a ‘terrorist act.“

Two Florida Democrats were among the 39 who voted against the health care bill in the House Saturday night.  So was Ohio’s Dennis Kucinich.

And on Bay News 9 yesterday, Governor Charlie Crist tried to walk back his denial of supporting the stimulus bill by talking about why he supported it.  Really.

Download the report here.

As speculation continues on what led to Thursday’s crazed shooting spree by Nidal Hassan at Fort Hood yesterday, the Secretary of Veteran Affairs, General Eric Shinseki, is scheduled to speak today on the USF Tampa campus.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her underlings will be working furiously today to try to gather the 218 votes she needs to pass a health care reform bill that includes a public option tomorrow.

And the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce intends to honor Mayor Rick Baker tomorrow for all of the successes  that the Chamber believes have occurred under the Baker administration.  But there are activists who say the whole story needs to be told, and they plan on protesting the event tomorrow night.

We may not have an audio podcast up today.  But we’ll be back for certain on Monday a.m.

With more time to digest the results of Tuesday’s elections nationally, the question remains: what does it all mean?

The Tampa City Council today will vote on adding gender identity to their human rights ordinance, and in Hillsborough County, the campaign for a one-cent sales tax referendum slowly begins.

Download the report here.

Sadly, there will be no new Top Chef Las Vegas episode tonight – how will I get my Bryan Voltaggio fix? Luckily, we will be graced with a Top Chef All Stars Reunion! That’s right, now we get to catch up with some of the most loved (and loathed) cheftestants from seasons past.

First of all, I have a soft spot in my heart for the Italian stallion, Fabio (season 5), but why did they choose him to host the show? Yes, his mispronunciation of most English words and phrases is adorable, but we could barely understand him the first time he was on the show. Maybe they chose him to host because of his innocence and aloofness when pushing peoples’ buttons (see videos below) when asking why they were such jerks on their seasons and bringing up past rivalries. That way he might have a lesser chance of getting punched in the face, perhaps?

Be sure to check out the clip (below) where he interviews the biggest jerks (and least favorite contestants) from seasons 1 through 4: Tiffany, Marcel (still sporting the Dragonball Z hairdo), Hung, and Stefan. This is obviously just the beginning of tonight’s drama.

Also notice in the dinner party clip that all of the aforementioned jerks and hot heads from past seasons are seated at the center of the table and the nice guys, like Richard Blais, are at the very end. Who wants to hear from the people who stirred up the least drama anyway? (And why is Dale there at all?)

Finally, I’d just like to say that I’d pay to see Fabio put the smackdown on Marcel. As Bravo’s catchphrase goes: “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 when we return next week! (You can now download on iTunes and check out Jeff’s Top Chef Flickr page.)

Videos after the break:
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After spending a record $225,000, Bill Foster has captured the Mayoral race in St. Petersburg.

Nationally, Democrats and Republicans are spinning furiously about what if anything yesterday’s elections in New York, New Jersey and Virginia mean on a national basis.

And Hillsborough County Commissioners sit down to finally get serious about a possible referendum on transportation that could go before the voters in a year.

Download the report here

There will be no runoff election in Afghanistan this weekend (I know, we were all looking forward to the revote between Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah).  Karzai’s in, but what, if anything, will this mean for the U.S. interests?  Reportedly President Obama will meet at least two more times with his advisers on the strategy going forward.

As those discussions continue, the  young State Department official whose resignation was made public is getting  lots of face time.  Matthew Hoh appeared this morning on The Today Show, and yesterday on CNN

St. Pete Times/Miami Herald/Bay News 9 released a series of polls over the weekend, and it’s policy more than policy-makers that is most provocative in those results.

And on Sunday talk, Fox News gave Rush Limbaugh a platform for the first half of their one-hour program yesterday.  Too bad nothing interesting came out of it, other than the odious comment that President Obama’s appearance at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware last week was nothing more than a publicity stunt, according to Rush.

Most interesting was Joe Lieberman on CBS, saying he’d rather have nothing happen with health care reform than to allow for a government-run public option.

Download the report here.

The House Democrats dropped a bomb on D.C. yesterday – 1900 pages of health reform legislation that Republicans hate and even some progressive Democrats aren’t pleased with.  Meanwhile, activists will target local politicos Gus Bilirakis and Bill Nelson today.

Sports talk show host Dan Sileo has been sidelined by his Clear Channel bosses for his comments on the Bucs losing hundreds of millions of dollars because they got ripped off by Bernie Madoff.  But what about the ‘responsible’ news organizations that breathlessly reported his comments?

Former Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth is helping out Florida Power & Light’s ‘damaged’ reputation because of their request for a 30% rate hike increase.  Say what?

Also, Pinellas County Congressman Bill Young is in the news today – and not in a good way.  You can read the story, but we’ll refrain from adding anything else just yet.  We’ve put in a call to the Congressman’s D.C. office for comment that he’s being investigated by the House Ethics Committee.

Podcast to follow.

Last week’s episode sure got my hopes up. I hate to keep complaining about what a snooze-fest this season is, but seriously, it is. Is it the contestants? Is it the editing of the show? Why can’t someone cut themselves or make out with another contestant like last season? Oh, it’s supposed to be about the food – right.

This week’s Quickfire consisted of creating a TV dinner (in a plastic tray, even) inspired by a classic television show. Redbeard (Kevin) gets The Sopranos, so he makes meatballs. Okay. Eli gets Gilligan’s Island, so he makes macadamia nut-crusted shrimp. Fitting. Ceveech (Jen) gets The Flintstones, so she makes a chicken roulade. Huh? And Jersey Mike has never even seen Seinfeld so he just pulls something out of his ass. I understand that most of the shows are a bit before their time, but seriously, who isn’t familiar with them? Maybe I expected some of them to be a little more cultured and up-to-date on their classic television (excluding Jersey Mike). Anyway, Redbeard takes the win. Big surprise, though I was a little amazed that he didn’t use pork in his dish.

For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs were let loose in Tom’s restaurant, Craftsteak, where they go apeshit over all of the choice proteins they think they’re going to use. Then their guest judge is introduced: Natalie Portman! And guess what? She’s a vegetarian! (Didn’t we see this in Top Chef Masters?) The cheftestants’ faces then immediately took on the “oh shit” look and they all turned white.

Jersey Mike claimed to be an expert on vegetarian cuisine, Redbeard said he doesn’t eat meat during Lent (meaning: he doesn’t eat pork products), and Eli proceeded to give vegetarians a lovely compliment by saying that they’re “lower human beings”. In the end, Jersey Mike tries to pass of undercooked leeks as a protein and gets the axe, while Redbeard takes the win with his “manly” veggie dish.

More fashion foibles this season: Padma’s tube top/pant suit atrocity, Ceveech’s tube top dress and open-toe ankle boots ensemble a la Pretty Woman, and Gail Simmons’ green prom dress circa Dynasty ‘86.

Podcast highlights: Natalie’s colorful language at the dinner table and her lack of ethnic friends, Ceveech’s “Philly Camaro” hair and falling self-esteem, and a plethora of ”That’s what she said” jokes.

Hear the hilarious podcast after the jump:
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There was a civilized, at times dare we say entertaining debate last night in Tallahassee on the proposal to repeal Florida’s ban on offshore drilling.

Tampa officials are studying the possibility of bringing red light cameras to certain intersections in the city.  Hillsborough County officials already agreed on doing so, with the first cameras going up tomorrow.  A state law mandating cameras could take precedence over both jurisdictions, but lawsuits will surely follow suit.

And the possibility of Hillsborough County using an old strip mall to house the homeless ain’t going to happen.

Audio podcast to follow this afternoon – we promise.

As we saw in last week’s episode of Top Chef Las Vegas, the stakes and drama are getting higher and it’s getting harder to predict who will be going home next (with the majority of the weak links now gone). We’ve seen some of the heavy-hitters, like Ceveech (Jen), slipping up and some of the underdogs, like Robin, excel. I’m just excited that we’re finally getting to the meat of this competition, after cutting away the fat like Phranc (Preeti), Mary Kay Letourneau (Eve), and cleaner of Picasso’s paintbrushes, Ash.

Tonight’s episode looks entertaining because the cheftestants are getting all kinds of curve balls thrown at them. Their Quickfire Challenge is to cook a TV dinner (complete with plastic tray) inspired by a classic television show, i.e.: M*A*S*H, Gilligan’s Island, etc.

After viewing the preview video below, it looks as if some of the chefs are out of their element, like Eli who claims to have never eaten a TV dinner. And why would he when he lives at home with his mother who probably waits on him hand and foot? Our one-time favorite, whom some of us had in their top three, Ceveech, looks like she’s drowning in self-doubt again this week as well. Will this affect her power ranking or even her spot in the finale? (I know I’m changing my bet on the finale trifecta.)
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Florida Chief Financial Officer and leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor, Alex Sink, has been very reluctant to comment on a government run health care option.  Not any longer.

Meanwhile, two members of the Florida Congressional delegation are making news - including GOP Brooksville’s Ginny Brown-Waite calling on President Obama to ask for permission to accept his Nobel Peace Prize.

And new national polls asking Americans their thoughts on President Obama and Congress reveal some interesting results.

Download the report here.

President Obama continues his stay in the sunshine state this morning, with a major speech on modernizing our electricity power grid at 12:25 this afternoon in Arcadia.

Kathleen Ford was asked yesterday to comment on her “HNIC” remark at Gibbs High School in St. Pete yesterday.

And Marco Rubio blasts Charlie Crist again, this time on MSNBC, a day after a Forbes columnist calls Crist the worst Governor in the country.

Download the report here.

Like me, most of you Top Chef fans probably get a little anxious by this time of the week – it’s been how many days since the last episode?! Well, I’m here to give you a Top Chef fix to help you get through the next few days. Since the Restaurant Wars episode aired last Wednesday, I have come across some very exciting news about  future seasons and a few stupidly entertaining videos from the current season.
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Over the weekend you may have read about Hillsborough County activist George Niemann’s ethics complaint against County Administrator Pat Bean’s self imposed pay raise now being investigated by the State Ethics Commission.

But I bet most people don’t know how the process works.  CL Contributor Niemann explains it all to you.  And it’s not pretty.

Polk County Congressman Adam Putnam is running for state wide office next year.  In case you forgot, he’s getting himself in the news today with his op-ed against excessive federal spending.  We haven’t heard that from Republican much lately, have we?

14 Americans were killed in Afghanistan today.  That makes Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold’s comments that he thinks the U.S. should pull out of Afghanistan all the more relevant.

And some Senate Democrats envision a public option in the health care bill being negotiated in Congress.

Download the report here.

There’s another local story today about former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco flirting with another run to lead the city.  My take.

Florida Senator George LeMieux’s past associations are creative waves, especially when it comes to the politics of offshore drilling.

And Fox News’ Karl Rove says that Barack Obama won’t announce he’s raising troop levels in Afghanistan until after next month’s gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia.

Download the report here.

Wow. I have to say this has been the first episode of Top Chef Las Vegas where I was actually on the edge of my seat and cared about who won or lost. It also showed us that maybe nice guys do finish last.

For the Quickfire, we saw the cheftestants divided into two teams of four and they had to compete in a blindfolded and gagged (no talking) relay race to complete a dish. Though the blue team, lead by Ceveech (Jen), didn’t really work cohesively for their dish they seemed to pull it off and take the win. I’m sure this added fuel to Angry Bro’s (Mike V.) fire to kick their asses in the Restaurant Wars Elimination Challenge.

At the beginning of the Restaurant Wars challenge, I really believe it was up in the air as to who would take the win. Though by service time, we had a much better idea of who would be on the chopping block. The red team, though led by a cruel tyrant, Mike V.,  bickering like school children, took their heated passion and directed it into their food – coming out on top and taking the win. Success stemmed from the leaders this episode and Ceveech’s stressing out (again) really took a toll on her team. Everyone on the blue team were just too nice and agreeable, leaving no one really in charge and a line of dishes that were ill-prepared.

In the end, Whatsherface (Laurine) was spared another grueling week on the show – as the majority of Top Chef fans probably wanted and/or predicted at the beginning of the episode. And then there were seven.

I hope that the action and excitement carries over into next week because this season has been blander than Jersey Mike’s dish that he served to Padma last night. Next week we get to see the cheftestants’ “oh shit” faces when they receive their orders from Natalie Portman – Super Vegan Challenge! What will Redbeard cook – tofu bacon?

Podcast highlights: We rag on the show’s fashion foibles, comparing the V. Brothers to characters in a Jane Austen novel, the Top Chef Las Vegas drinking game, and Jeff gives us more intriguing information as to the possible winner (no spoilers, though).

Hear the hilarious podcast after the jump:
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It happens every two years, but rumors again are circulating that Bill Young won’t run for re-election in 2010. His spokesman strongly denies that rumor.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner isn’t playing around on the whole Pat Bean giving herself a raise controversy.  He said yesterday that  he’s called the FDLE to check it out.

And Orlando Democrat Alan Grayson isn’t moderating his mantra that the GOP’s intransigence on health care is literally killing people.

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Drama! Action! Blindfolds! (Sounds kinky.) I know we’re going to see at least two of those in tonight’s episode of Top Chef…hopefully. It’s that time of the season again: Restaurant Wars! We’ll get to see who works fairly well together for the win and who gets the blame for having the losing restaurant, thus going down in flames.

Yet again, we see drama surrounding Robin and apparently she and Angry Bro (Mike V.) are the ones going at it this week during Restaurant Wars. It looks like, from the video below, that the V. Brothers and Robin are on a team working together in the kitchen for this challenge. With Angry Bro as the apparent team leader, it seems that he thinks it gives him an excuse to give Robin hell this week. I’m very much looking forward to her finally losing her cool and cursing him out, and also interested in seeing how the V. Brothers work together for this challenge, Will Mike will try to throw Bryan under the bus? Twenty bucks says he’ll try to do that to Robin.
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This reporter was at the latest Bill Foster/Kathleen Ford debate last night in St. Petersburg.  Not a whole lot of news being made, with the exception that Foster now says he supports domestic partnership benefits.

Very interesting new poll numbers are out in Florida’s Senate and Gubernatorial races this morning.  The big news here is that even though Marco Rubio is still down by double digits to Charlie Crist in their race for U.S. Senate, Rubio has made up 14% from a similar poll conducted two months ago.

Download the Report here.

Perhaps feeling massive guilt, Commisioners Kevin White and Al Higgenbotham plan to unveil a new plan on finding housing for the homeless at today’s Hillsborough County Commission Board Meeting.

Interestingly enough, Commissioner White, who has been under fire after he was found guilty of sexually harassing his aide back in August, has had a number of supporters come out for him at this morning’s meeting.

Support for a government run public health care option is rising in the U.S.  As activists prepare to protest in front of Senator Bill Nelson’s office today, perhaps the new numbers will inspire him and others to get more behind the idea?

One prominent Florida Democrat has no opinion about a public option,

and,  with just two weeks to go before election day in St. Petersburg, former police chief Goliath Davis weighs in on the recent controversial comments on race made by mayoral candidate Kathleen Ford.

Also in national news, the Obama Administration announced yesterday what they said they were going to do when they came into office – that is, stop prosecuting sanctioned marijuana suppliers or the patients who purchase medicinal pot.

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Attorney General Eric Holder had said his Justice Department would no longer go after those dispensaries when he took office, but his office did actually continue to do so for awhile.

And in the story I quote from, there’s this little caveat:

And while the policy memo describes a change in priorities away from prosecuting medical marijuana cases, it does not rule out the possibility that the federal government could still prosecute someone whose activities are allowed under state law.

Also, President Obama may be in Tampa next Tuesday.  We’ll report once we have the details.

And, swine flu shots will begin being administered in Hillsborough County schools today.  The School Board issue a press release this morning with results from a survey of parents on whether they will have their kid get inoculated.

The results? 55% said yes, 24% said no, and 21 percent were undecided.  Over 25,000 people responded.

The St. Petersburg Mayor’s race just got a whole lot more interesting.

The Obama Administration is not dropping its jihad against Fox News.

And some in the media are spreading the narrative that Barack Obama simply isn’t tough enough – but Obama’s radio address on Saturday threatening to revoke the health care industry’s anti trust exemption is a pretty serious threat.

Download the report here.